OCS'B  LIBRARY 

1 


VENETIA 

^Avenger  of  the  J^usitania 


r 


VENETIA 

^Avenger  of  the  J^usitania 

BEING  A  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  ADVENTURES 

AND  CAREER  OF  THE  YACHT  "VENETIA" 

DURING  THE   WORLD    WAR  AS   AN   AUXI 

LIARY   CRUISER,  INCLUDING   SUCH 

PROOF   AS    EXISTS    OF   HER    CON 

NECTION  WITH  THE  EXPIA 

TION    OF    ITS    MOST 

UNFORGIVABLE 

TRAGEDY 


BASED  UPON  THE  CRUISER'S  OFFICIAL  LOG 
AND  THE  DIARIES  OF  SOME  OF  HER  OFFICERS 


BY 

CLAY  M.  GREENE 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

C.  D.  ROBINSON,  W.  A.  COULTER 

AND  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS 


SAN  DIEGO 


1919 


COPYRIGHT,    1919 

BY 
JOHN  D.  SPRECKELS 


300  copies  of  this  book 
have  been  printed  for 
private  distribution. 


FOREWORD 


HIS  BOOK  has  been  com- 
piled out  of  material  'to hie h, 
from  the  Very  nature  of  its 
subject-matter,  had  to  be  col- 
let-ted from  sources  'toidely 
separated  and  at  Very  remote 
distances.  Some  of  this  re- 
moteness has  been,  in  a  sense, 
impenetrable. 

Those  from  Vohom  information  upon  certain  points  in 
the  narrative  'toas  expected,  either  could  not  be  reached, 
or  'toere  so  engrossed  in  the  exacting  business  of  the  sea 
that  they  felt  small  concern  in  the  business  of  bookmaking. 
^/Ifew  atoms  of  conjecture  are  obviously  unavoidable  in 
a  <work^ofthis  kind,  but  such  of  these  as  have  been  Ven- 
tured upon  have  not,  it  is  hoped,  in  any  Voay  lessened  the 
credibility  of  the  Vast  preponderance  of  fact.  For  these 
reasons  the  tast^of  authorship  has  not  been  approached 
'toithout  misgiving,  and  it  has  been  finished  'toith  some 
degree  of  that  most  important  deterrent  to  the  inspiration 
of  confidence  still  unremoved.  However,  at  the  outset  the 

(v) 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


magnanimous  owner  of  the  VENETIA  duly  acknowl- 
edged the  difficulties  involved  and  exacted  no  conditions 
other  than  that  the  tale  be  made  readable  and  reasonably 
brief.  If  this  has  been  done,  then  is  its  main  object  at- 
tained; if  it  has  not,  manifestly  this  author  "toas  never 
endowed  "frith  the  constructive  literary  faculties  that 
should  have  made  it  so,  and  the  reader  mayjind  some 
compensation  in  becoming  a  child  again  and  "looking 
at  the  pictures" 

(grateful  acknowledgment  is  made  to  Snsign  Uolney 
8.  Howard,  U.  S.  3^1^  F.,  for  the  use  of  his  volu- 
minous diary,  many  illuminating  conversations,  and 
assistance  in  the  'fr  or kj)f  editing;  to  J^ieutenant  Stanley 
S.  Schnetzlerfor  the  loan  of  his  large  collection  of  pho- 
tographs; to  Ensign  T>.  V.  J^icolinifor^aluable  infor- 
mation and  photographs;  and  to  tJ&iss  (Constance  I. 
Sandisonfor  instructive  criticism  and  assistance  in  the 
preparation  of  copy. 


C.M.G. 


SAN  FRANCISCO, 
CALIFORNIA, 

October  24,  1919. 


(vi) 


PRELUDE  xix 


CHAPTER  I 

FROM  YACHT  TO  WARSHIP 

Delivery  at  Mare  Island— Long  delays  unexplained— Dis- 
mantling and  outfitting— Placed  in  commission.         

CHAPTER  II 

REGULAR  AND  "TENDERFOOT" 

Venetids  officers  and  crew— Departure  from  the  navy  yard- 
In  "Man-o '-War's  Row" 


CHAPTER  III 

WARDROOM  PERSONNEL 

Venttias  officers— Sketches  of  their  lives 


ii 


CHAPTER  IV 


SOUTHWARD  HO! 


Reserves  versus  the  Regular  Navy— An  old  salt  "called 
down"— Brief  touch  at  San  Diego— Bound  for  Panama       ...       24 

[vn] 


V    E    N    E    T    I 


CHAPTER  V 

INTENSIVE  TRAINING 


Along  the  coast— Exhaustive  drills— Second-hand  armament 
—  Dotter  practice— First  baptism  of  bad  weather— Treacherous 
Tehuantepec  29 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  WORLD'S  GREAT  WATERWAY 

Arrival   at  Panama— Through   the  Canal— The  American 
plan  fully  justified— Arrival  at  Colon        35 


CHAPTER  VII 

THROUGH  THE  CARIBBEAN 

Departure  from  the  isthmus— More  intensive  drills- 
Regular  Service  and  Reserves  again— Ships  that  pass  in  the 
night— From  the  Caribbean  into  the  Atlantic 40 

CHAPTER  VIII 

TOWARD  THE  WINTER-TIME 

Headed  north'ard— The  guns  still  rebellious— A  placid  "off 
Hatteras"— League  Island  Navy  Yard— A  boy  who  forgot. . .  46 

CHAPTER  IX 

A  MENIAL  ASSIGNMENT 

Delay  at  Philadelphia— Captain  La  Roche—  Venetia  is  made 
a  towboat!— To  New  York  and  back  53 

CHAPTER  X 

CHRISTMAS  AND  NEW  YEAR 

Towing  submarine  chasers— Dull  stay  at  Bermuda— De- 
merit winners— New  Year's  Eve  57 

vm 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XI 

AMERICAN  HUMOR 

Captain  La  Roche  and  the  lily  farmer— A  conflict  of  au- 
thority— Almost  a  tragedy      64 

CHAPTER  XII 

IN  THE  "ROARING  FORTIES" 

Transfer  of  officers— Again  under  way— Bermudan  scenery 
contrasted  with  that  of  California 68 

CHAPTER  XIII 

WAVES  MOUNTAIN  HIGH 

Staunchness  of  the  Venetia— Humors  of  the  gale— Trouble 
with  the  chasers 74 

CHAPTER  XIV 

TRULY  A  "SUICIDE  FLEET" 

The  storm  increases— Depth  charges  awash—  Venetia  s  dan- 
gerous duty— The  squadron  separated      79 

CHAPTER  XV 

THE  LOST  SUBMARINE  CHASERS 

Arrival  at  Ponta  Delgada—  Venetia  alone  unscathed— An 
officer's  collapse— Shore  leave  at  Ponta  Delgada        84 

CHAPTER  XVI 

ENTERING  THE  WAR  ZONE 

The  first  shot— A  question  of  veracity— A  merited  promotion 
—Testing  Oporto  port— Off  for  "  Gib  "      90 


[IX] 


V    E    N    E    T         A 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  ROCK  OF  GIBRALTAR 


Doubts  as  to  its  impregnability— Amazing  war  conditions 
Unpatriotic  hucksters— A  fake  bull-fight  and  a  real  one 


First  departure  from  Gibraltar— Composition  of  the  first 
convoy— To  Bizerta,  Tunis,  and  return 103 


CHAPTER  XIX 


Eventless   convoying   becomes   monotonous— A   game   of 
baseball— Transfer  of  Ensign  "Nick"— Losing  a  convoy     ...     ill 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  FIRST  ENCOUNTER 


The  unforgetable  April  22nd— Navigation  by  moonlight  or 
in  darkness  equally  dangerous— Discussing  the  first  battle— A 
day  of  target  practice— Another  elusive  submarine  121 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A  SECOND  NIGHT  ATTACK 


A  fusillade  of  depth  charges— French  merchantman  tor- 
pedoed— Venetia  prepares  for  hand-to-hand  conflict— Enemy 
submerges  to  avoid  ramming— A  suspicious  sail  129 

CHAPTER  XXII 

A  SUCCESSION  OF  THRILLS 

The  sixth  departure  for  Bizerta— A  daylight  attack— Ap- 
parent certainty  that  Venetia  bags  her  first  submarine— A  sur- 
prise in  the  night  and  the  ship  abandoned— A  collision  and  not 
a  torpedo— "Something  on  the  skipper" 135 

[«] 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  AFTERMATH  OF  BATTLE 

A  search  for  the  scattered  convoy— Another  victim  of  the 
attack— An  intrusion  into  neutral  waters— Fresno  raisins  and 
the  Malaga  brand— Rumors  of  fresher  duties 144 

CHAPTER  XXIV 

HAS  THE  "LUSITANIA"  BEEN  AVENGED? 

Letters  from  home— A  board  of  inquiry  concerning  the 
recent  battles— Preponderance  of  evidence  in  favor  of  Venetia 
—A  scouting  cruise  to  the  Azores 153 

CHAPTER  XXV 

INTERESTING  DIVERGENCIES 

A  passenger  for  the  Azores— A  quick  return  to  Gibraltar— An 
experience  in  colonial  Church  English— In  mourning  for  a 
dull  Fourth  of  July  160 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

AN  AMUSING  SIDE  TRIP 

Watchers  from  aloft— The  dirigible  versus  the  airplane— 
A  companionable  Frenchman— The  distinguishing  charac- 
teristic of  Arab  towns 168 

CHAPTER  XXVII 

THRILLING    DAYS    AGAIN 

Uneventful  return  to  Gibraltar— The  Venetia  is  transferred 
to  the  Genoa  convoy  route— Two  days  of  excitement— A 
fusillade  of  depth  charges— Two  freighters  torpedoed  . .  .  175 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 

GENOA  TO  GIBRALTAR 

"Doing"  the  birthplace  of  Columbus— Varied  impressions— 
A  gale  in  the  Gulf  of  Lyons— Change  of  commanders 182 


[XI] 


I 


V    E    N    E    T    I 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

UNDER  A  NEW  COMMANDER 


Captain  Howell  introduces  himself— Brief  sketch  of  his 
career— Courteously  businesslike— And  then  Bizerta  again!. . .     188 


CHAPTER  XXX 

DRY-DOCK  DAYS 


Off  on  leave— Revival  of  the  belief  that  the  Venetia  avenged 
the  Lusitania—A  collision  necessitates  repairs— In  the  halls  of 
the  Alhambra— Ready  for  service  195 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

TEMPEST  AND  SUNSHINE 


Dull  days  at  "Gib"— Another  gale  in  the  Gulf  of  Lyons— A 
hide-and-seek  convoy— Homesick  nurses  enlivened  204 

CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE  APPROACH  OF  VICTORY 

Appearance  of  influenza— Glorious  news  from  the  front- 
Singular  disposition  to  minimize  America's  share— To  Madeira 
and  the  Azores— Rumors  of  an  armistice— The  "Flu"  interferes 
with  participation  in  the  glorification  in 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 

DAYS  OF  REJOICING 

From  the  Azores  to  Gibraltar— Continued  Allied  jealousy— 
A  pleasure  trip  to  Lisbon— Portuguese  hospitality— A  foodless 
banquet— A  regretful  farewell  221 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 

QUEST  OF  THE  GOLD  STAR 

Anxious  days  at  Gibraltar— No  news  from  Admiral  Sims- 
Persistence  of  an  adverse  claimant— Homeward-bound  orders 
delayed— Authority  for  the  gold  star  on  the  funnel  arrives— 
Who  avenged  the  Lusitania? 230 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

HOMEWARD  BOUND 

Good-bye  to  the  war  zone— Towing  little  fellows  home— 
Another  Christmas  at  sea— A  real  American  New  Year's  Eve— 
A  busy  run  to  the  Virgin  Islands  238 

CHAPTER  XXXVI 

ANOTHER  LAP  HOMEWARD 

Brief  stay  at  St.  Thomas— A  strange  celebration  of  annexa- 
tion to  the  United  States— Many  interesting  jaunts— Blue- 
beard's castle— Guantanamo  and  Panama  245 

CHAPTER  XXXVII 

GOLDEN  GATE  AND  HOME 

Over  night  at  Balboa— The  police  unfriendly  to  the  Navy— 
The  last  lap  begun— Even  the  gale  sings  of  home— Call  at  San 
Diego— Home  at  last— The  final  call  to  "colors"  252 


ADDENDA      259 

INDEX  265 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  CAMOUFLAGED  "VENETIA" Frontispiece 

FACINO 
PAGE 

J.  D.  SPRECKELS,  OWNER  OF  THE  "VENETIA" xix 

VENETIA  RESPONDS  TO  THE  CALL I 

COMMANDER  L.  B.  PORTERFIELD,  U.  S.  N 10 

LIEUT.  FRANK  M.  PERRY,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F.  (Chief  Engineer)     ...  14 

LIEUT.  PAUL  M.  DRAKE  (The  Doctor) 18 

LIEUT.  (J.  G.)  J.  B.  ARMSTRONG      18 

LIEUT.  (J.  G.)  W.  G.  DONOVAN 18 

ENSIGN  D.  V.  NICOLINI 18 

ENSIGN  VOLNEY  E.  HOWARD,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F 20 

LIEUT.  S.  S.  SCHNETZLER  (Paymaster) 20 

LIEUT.  (J.  G.)  W.  L.  DE  CAMP 20 

ENSIGN  VOLNEY  E.  HOWARD 20 

TARGET  PRACTICE 32 

AFTER  A  STORM     32 

THROUGH  CULEBRA  CUT 36 

IN  SAN  MIGUEL  LOCKS 38 

[xv] 


'",;i7 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


DOCKS  AT  COLON 38 

EACH  MORNING'S  "SWABBING  DOWN"     42 

CARIBBEAN  HEAD  SEAS 42 

UNIFORM  ON  THE  DELAWARE 50 

LEAGUE  ISLAND  NAVY  YARD 50 

THROUGH  WINTRY  SEAS 56 

To  ICY  BROOKLYN 56 

SUBMARINE  CHASER  No.  67 60 

OFF  WATCH 60 

CONTRAST  THIS  WITH  • — 64 

WINTER  MEMORIES  — 64 

IN  PHILADELPHIA 64 

PLOWING  ANGRY  SEAS 68 

DEPTH  CHARGES  AND  GUNS  FROM  ALOFT 68 

LIEUT.  MARK  A.  MANGAN,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F 70 

IN  THE  "ROARING  FORTIES"  (in  Color) 78 

HARBOR  OF  PONTA  DELGADA 84 

WATER  GATE,  PONTA  DELGADA ...  84 

RAPID  DELIVERY  IN  PONTA  DELGADA 86 

CAPTAIN  LA  ROCHE 86 

ENSIGN  DONALD  MACKENZIE 86 

THE  RIVER  AT  OPORTO 92 

PUBLIC  SQUARE,  OPORTO 92 

GIBRALTAR  AT  SUNRISE 94 

THE  TOWN  FROM  "THE  ROCK".  .      98 

[xvi] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


"THE  ROCK"  FROM  THE  TOWN 98 

REFUSING  TO  BE  INFURIATED 102 

PATIENTLY  AWAITING  DEATH 102 

ENTERING  BIZERTA 108 

BIZERTA'S  RESTFUL  POPULATION     108 

DISTANT  VIEW  OF  A  CONVOY 112 

THE  WATCHFUL  EYE  ABOVE 112 

BASEBALL  AT  GIBRALTAR 1 16 

"THE  MANLY  ART  OF  "SELF-DEFENSE" 116 

LYING  IN  WAIT  (in  Color) 1 20 

"LET 'ER  Go!"     130 

THE  EXPLOSION 130 

THE  WAKE  OF  A  TORPEDO      138 

THE  STRICKEN  "SCULPTOR" 138 

"FULL  SPEED  AHEAD!" 148 

THE  REASON  WHY 148 

THE  PARK,  BIZERTA      170 

MARKET-PLACE,  BIZERTA 170 

BAB-BENAT  GATE,  TUNIS 174 

BARRACKS  AT  TUNIS 174 

DESTRUCTION  .      . . .___._._. ,_-.     178 

EXPIATION 178 

GENOA 182 

THE  TRANSFER  OF  COMMANDERS     186 

CAPTAIN  CHARLES  F.  HOWELL 190 

xvn 


I 


V    E    N    E    T    I 


THE  EVEN  CHANCE  FOR  AMERICA 194 

ALL  ONE  WAY  FOR  SPAIN 194 

JAUNTING  IN  SPAIN 198 

GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  ALHAMBRA 198 

MASQUERADING  AT  THE  ALHAMBRA 200 

SINKING  OF  H.  M.  S.  "BRITANNIA" 220 

THE  QUAY  AT  LISBON 226 

IN  THE  PALACE     226 

THE  BURNING  OF  S.  S.  "OPHIR"     228 

ENSIGN  C.  H.  BENHAM 232 

MOLES  AND  DOCKS  AT  "Gis" 236 

HOMEWARD  BOUND! 236 

LIBERTY  PARTY  LANDING 240 

THE  CONCEALED  BEAUTY  OF  PONTA  DELGADA 240 

THE  HARBOR  OF  ST.  THOMAS 244 

LEAVING  ST.  THOMAS     244 

TOUCHING  AT  GUANTANAMO 250 

THE  FIRST  GOLD  STAR  IN  THE  CANAL 250 

HOME  AGAIN 256 


JOHN  D.   SPRECKELS,  OWNER  OF  THE  "vENETIA" 


PRELUDE 


ATE  IN  JULY,  1917, 
.  "John  T>.  Spreckels  re- 
ceived official  notification 
from  the  ^avy  'Department 
at  Washington  that  his  steam 
yac/itVENETiA  had  been  ac- 
cepted by  the  (government for 

_ _        immediate  conversion  into  an 

auxiliary  cruiser,  and^as 

to  be  delivered  at  the  ^hCare  Island  J^avy  Tard  as 
soon  as  expedient,  there  being  an  urgent  demand  at  the 
time  forces sels  of  her  type.  ^Although  designed  solely  for 
pleasurable  Voyages  across  friendly  Waters  to  ports  of 
peace,  she  had  been  reported  peculiarly  ^ell  adapted  to 
the  Warlike  activities  intended  for  her.  Her  sturdy  build, 
tested  to  the  full  in  many  angry  seas,  especially  fitted  her 
heavy  deck^beams for  gun-platforms,  and  she  must  cer- 
tainly prove  of  great  lvalue  as  a  dispatch-boat,  owing  to 
her  somewhat  unusual  speed  and  cruising  radius.  (^Core- 
over,  the  solid  rigidity  of  her  long  stern  overhang  could 
not  fail  to  be  of  inestimable  ^alue  in  launching  the 

(xix) 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


destruction-dealing  depth  charges  'fohile  sleuthing  for 
the  predatory  submarine  and  putting  it  out  of  business. 

T/'VENETIA  could  have  become  endowed  at  that 
moment  "toitb  thought,  instinB,  and  freedom  of  speech,  it 
is  not  to  be  doubted  that,  true  to  the  love  for  luxurious 
ease  so  inherent  in  her  sex,  she  might  have  interposed  an 
objection  full  of  garrulous  protest,  punctuated  by  floods 
of  indignant  tears.  Without  these  compellingforces  of 
femininity,  ^hat  "tooman  can  adequately  express  "tohat 
is  intended  by  her  during  her  impulsive  bursts  of  dis- 
pleasure, or  tones  of  imperious  command? 

Born  at  J^eith,  Scotland,  ^ith  an  unusually  elaborate 
golden  spoon  in  her  mouth, and  educated,as  has  been  said, 
fora  life  of  luxurious  ease,  she  could  scarcely  have  been 
expe£ledto  regard  ^eith  anything  like  serene  contentment 
the  disappointing  and  altogether  alarming  intelligence 
that  she  'teas,  ^illy-nilly,  to  be  arbitrarily  stripped  of  her 
gorgeous  attire  and  dispatched  into  the  zones  of  bellig- 
erent danger  in  the  sombre  habiliments  of  a  ship  of 'tear. 

'True,  however,  to  one  never-to-be-disputed  charac- 
teristic of  the  supposedly  Weaker  sex,  it  is  equally  certain 
that  she  ^ould  be  notoriously  braver  and  more  patient 
than  the  supposedly  stronger  one  in  moments  of  tribula- 
tion and  pain.  For  now,  stirred  to  patriotic  fervor  by  the 
news  from  Washington,  her  fear  ^ould  at  once  have  fled, 
her  keen  disappointment  changed  to  keener  delight, and  she 
^poould  have  responded  to  her  President's  call  to  the  colors 
Without  a  quiver  in  her  graceful  body  of  rigid  steel.  It 
may  also  be  said  WM  some  security  of  conviction  that 

(xx) 


PRELUDE 


if  some  contemplative  poet  had  been  present  during  that 
J>ery  commendable  change  of  mental  attitude,  he  might 
have  smiled  'foith  admiring  fervor  upon  this  lady  of  the 
sea  of  such  perfect  mould,  and  inspired  his  <JftCuse  into 
the  framing  of  this  quatrain: 

Delight,  VENETIA,  that  thy  flag  commands! 
For  get,  fair  argosy,  to  pleasure-lands  ; 
Sail  on,  armed  to  the  teeth,  foresworn  to  fight 
Humanity's  just  'tear  for  Freedom's  might! 

*At  all  events,  ifV  E  N  E  T  i  Kfelt  at  the  time  any  mental 
thrill  of  contending  emotions,  these  ^ere  not  betrayed  by 
any  Visible  tremor  along  her  graceful  outlines  ^pohen, 
quietly  responding  to  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tide  under 
the  lee  of  the  sheltering  hills  ofSausalito,  her  anchor  'teas 
Weighed,  the  rattling  chains  stowed  in  their  lockers,  and 
WM  Captain  "<±Al"  Thompson  in  the  pilot-house,  and 
her  engines  rhythmically  throbbing,  she  turned  her  prow 
toward  (jolden  Cjate,  and  ^poas  soon  cleaving  the  broad 
swells  of  the  Pacific,  bound  south  toward  her  home  port 
of  San  'Diego. 

Two  days  later,  as  she  lay  quietly  there  at  her  moor- 
ings tyith  the  beautiful  outlines  of  majestic  Coronado  to 
starboard  and  the  gorgeous  domes  and  minarets  of  the 
slumbering  yet  never-to-be-forgotten  Exposition  to  port, 
there  "toas  no  sigh  of  protest  as  the  crew  rapidly  denuded 
her  of  her  dainty  draperies  and  furnishings  and  carried 
them  quietly  ashore.  3\£or  did  she  give  forth  a  single 
sound  save  that  of  patriotic  exaltation  in  the  "toild  shrieks 
of  her  siren  as  again  her  engines  throbbed  and,  amid 


(xxi) 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


prayerful  (godspeeds  from  the  shore,  she  headed  for  the 
north  again  and  danced  merrily  over  the  leaves  of  a 
placid  southern  sea,boundfor  San  Francisco  and^Care 
Island,  to  be  given  over  to  the  service  of  her  country. 


(  xxn  ) 


VENETIA 

•^Avenger  of  the  J^usitania 

\ 

•     • 

• 

CHAPTER  I 

FROM  YACHT  TO  WARSHIP 

DELIVERY  AT  MARE  ISLAND  — LONG  DELAYS   UNEXPLAINED  — DISMAN- 
TLING AND  OUTFITTING— PLACED  IN  COMMISSION, 

N  the  6th  of  August,  1917,  the  Venetia 
arrived  at  Mare  Island  in  charge  of  her 
/^  old  yachting  master,  Captain  "Al" 

Thompson,  with  David  Nicolini  as  first 
officer,  and  most  of  her  original  crew,  a 
large  majority  of  which  had  already  en- 
listed in  the  service  or  signified  an  intention  of  so  doing 
at  once.  Immediately  upon  being  assigned  to  her  moor- 
ings, she  was  delivered  without  ceremony  to  Captain 
Henry  George,  commandant  of  the  navy  yard,  and  be- 
came the  property  of  the  Government  for  the  duration 
of  the  war. 

In  the  breast  of  Captain  Thompson  there  no  doubt 
existed  a  hope  that  one  who  had  so  successfully  navi- 
gated the  Venetia  in  all  pleasurable  waters  and  weathers, 
might  be  continued  in  command  of  her,  but  this  hope 
was  soon  dispelled  by  the  easily  gained  knowledge  of 


m 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


regular  naval  officers  that,  because  of  proven  fitness  for 
the  extraordinary  duties  that  had  been  outlined  for  her, 
her  commander  would  be  chosen  from  the  regular  serv- 
ice. As  he  left  her  for  what,  as  far  as  anyone  knew,  was 
the  last  time,  with  commendable  magnanimity  he  con- 
gratulated First  Officer  Nicolini,  who  had  been  more 
fortunate  than  he,  for  the  temporary  commission  of 
ensign  in  the  U.  S.  Naval  Reserve  Force  had  been  prom- 
ised him,  to  issue  forthwith,  and  with  this  inspiring  news 
came  the  welcome  assurance  that  he  would  be  assigned 
to  the  Venetia. 

Within  a  few  days  after  her  arrival  at  Mare  Island,  a 
board  of  survey  appeared  and  made  an  extraordinarily 
searching  examination  of  her  from  stem  to  stern.  It 
seemed  as  though  every  bolt  of  every  plate  must  have 
been  inspected;  every  strut,  beam,  and  knee;  every  deck 
gone  over  again  and  again  in  search  of  some  defect  that 
did  not  exist,  for  she  was  as  sound  in  every  part  of  her  as 
though  she  had  just  come  fresh  from  the  launching 
ways.  The  survey  extended  over  a  period  of  two  weeks, 
when  the  Venetia  was  reported  to  be  in  every  way  fit  for 
any  service  to  which  she  might  be  called,  and  she  was 
recommended  as  ranking  "A-i  "  among  the  class  of  con- 
verted yachts. 

Following  the  report  of  the  board  of  survey,  although 
it  was  generally  known  that  her  services  were  sadly 
needed,  there  was  delay  in  her  transformation  from  a 
pleasure  craft  to  a  warship  that  was  long  and  discour- 
aging. Although  there  were  many  thousands  of  skilled 
laborers  at  work  in  the  yard,  rush  of  work  on  other  ves- 
sels, both  building  and  in  course  of  repair,  occasioned 
unavoidable  neglect  of  poor,  lonely  Venetia.  At  all 
events,  she  lay  for  so  long  at  her  dock  in  charge  of  a  soli- 
tary watchman  that  the  many  coats  of  dust  and  grime 


FROM     YACHT    TO    WARSHIP 


blown  over  her  by  the  vandal  breezes  of  San  Pablo  Bay 
so  disguised  her  that  even  her  owner  or  designer  must 
have  failed  to  recognize  her. 

But  when  her  turn  came,  work  began  in  earnest,  and 
her  transformation  from  the  magnificence  of  her  yacht- 
ing days  into  a  mere  shell  of  steel  upon  which  to  fasten 
the  habiliments  of  war  was  most  complete.  Of  all  her 
sumptuous  fittings  nothing  was  left  except  three  state- 
rooms, the  dining-saloon,  pilot-house  and  chart-room, 
and,  once  begun,  the  work  was  most  destructive  from 
the  yachtsman's  dilettante  point  of  view.  But  the  further 
transformation  from  shell  to  finished  cruiser  was  effected 
in  a  surprisingly  short  space  of  time,  and  the  warlike 
touch  was  given  long  before  the  interior  changes  were 
installed,  by  the  mounting  of  her  armament. 

This  consisted  of  two  three-inch  rapid-fire  guns  on 
the  forecastle  deck,  two  three-inch  guns  aft,  one  on 
each  quarter,  and  two  machine-guns  abaft  the  bridge. 
In  addition  to  these,  there  was,  of  course,  complete  rifle 
and  pistol  equipment  for  all  hands,  together  with  ample 
ammunition  with  which  to  make  a  respectable  showing 
whenever  the  occasion  might  arise  to  demand  that  kind 
of  fighting. 

The  transformation  completed,  the  Venetia  was  in  all 
essential  respects  a  veritable  vessel  of  war  and  most 
gaudily  camouflaged  after  the  design  of  Mr.  Harrison 
Fisher.  This  provided  her  with  an  exceedingly  gaudy 
coat  of  many  colors,  which  made  her  appear  ludicrously 
bizarre  in  comparison  with  her  former  modest  gown  of 
glossy  white.  Mr.  Fisher  had  certainly  absorbed  all  of 
the  intents  and  purposes  of  the  camouflage  idea,  for  it 
was  a  strangely  confusing  riot  of  color  and  form  which 
he  had  perpetrated  as  a  war  disguise  for  the  hitherto 
modest  and  unobtrusive  Venetia.  This  was  a  scheme  of 

[3] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


pink,  green,  and  blue  spots  and  diamonds,  on  green, 
pink,  and  blue  backgrounds,  and  every  part  of  the  ship 
from  funnel  top  to  water-line  was  similarly  disfigured, 
with  the  sole  exception  of  her  decks. 

Her  graceful  bowsprit,  which  gave  her  the  sporty  as- 
pect of  speed  for  pleasure  only,  was  retained  for  beauty's 
sake.  Later  on,  however,  this  was  sawed  of?  close  to  the 
figurehead,  and  became  a  respect-inspiring  stump  to 
support  the  foremast  stays,  as  well  as  to  minimize  the 
danger  of  interference  with  the  rigging  of  other  vessels 
in  war  or  maneuver. 

The  erstwhile  music-room,  once  gorgeous  in  mahog- 
any and  tapestry  panelings,  was  now  severely  white, 
and  bulkheaded  into  three  compartments,  for  the  ship's 
office,  the  executive's  office,  and  the  medical  dispensary. 
The  smoking-room  aft  was  now  denuded  of  mahogany 
furniture  and  leather  cushions  to  accommodate  part  of 
the  crew,  and  now  had  two  tiers  of  iron  bunks  along  the 
side  bulkheads,  with  another  double  tier  fore  and  aft 
down  the  center.  Immediately  below  were  quartered 
the  engine  force  or  "Black  Gang";  forward  of  this  the 
petty  officers  were  quartered,  while  the  remainder  of  the 
crew  were  to  be  assigned  to  space  forward  under  the 
forecastle  head.  The  dining-saloon  was  now  the  ward- 
room, and  the  sumptuous  "owner's  quarters"  had  been 
divided  into  two  staterooms,  to  accommodate  the  com- 
manding and  executive  officers. 

The  piano,  following  the  thoughtful  direction  of  Mr. 
Spreckels,  had  been  left  aboard,  and  was  removed  to  the 
wardroom,  where  it  served  to  enliven  many  off-watch 
hours  while  in  port,  although  its  use  was  strictly  forbid- 
den at  sea  until  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice. 


CHAPTER  II 


REGULAR   AND       TENDERFOOT 

'VENETIA'S"  OFFICERS  AND   CREW— DEPARTURE   FROM  THE  NAVY 
YARD— IN  "MAN-O'- WAR'S  ROW." 

Y  the  1 5th  of  October,  the  Venetia  had 
become  a  veritable  fighting  unit  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  duly  armed  and 
equipped.  The  placing  of  her  in  com- 
mission was   effected  without   cere- 
monies other  than  her  due  acceptance 
by    Captain   Henry    George,   commandant    of   Mare 
Island   Navy   Yard,   the   hoisting  of  her  colors   and 
commission  pennant,  then  the  reading  of  orders  from 
the  Department  of  the  Navy  assigning  Commander 
L.  B.  Porterfield,  U.  S.  N.,  to  her  command  and  the  as- 
sembling of  the  crew.  The  first  roster  of  officers  and 
crew  when  complete  was  as  follows: 

Commander  L.  B.  PORTERFIELD,  U.  S.  N.  (in  command) 
Lieut.  W.  G.  KREBS,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F.  (Executive  officer) 
Lieut.  F.  M.  PERRY,  U.  S,  N.  R.  F.  (Chief  Engineer) 
Lieut.  (J.  G.)  W.  G.  DONOVAN,  U.  S.  N.  N.  V. 
Lieut.  (J.  G.)  J.  B.  ARMSTRONG,  U.  S.  N.  N.  V. 
Ensign  DAVID  NICOLINI,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 
Ensign  VOLNEY  E.  HOWARD,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 
Asst.  Surgeon  P.  M.  DRAKE,  U.  S.  N. 
Ensign  S.  S.  SCHNETZLER,  U.  S.  N.  (Paymaster) 


[5] 


YEN 

E    T    I    A 

THE 

CREW 

A.  Lopez 

Sea 

A.  L.  Fell 

WT 

R.  C.  Dyer 

Mm2c 

F.  Kraft 

Oil 

R 

L.  V.  Armstrong 

Sea2c 

M.  Hickey 

Oil 

i 

H.  O.  Waldo 

Mm2c 

J.  Marshall 

CBM 

H.  B.  Phelps 

Elr 

E.  L.  Jacobus 

CGM 

T.  N.  Ryan 

Y3c 

A.  L.  Payne 

BM2c 

J.  Pagdilao 

Matt3c 

F.  F.  Lagomarsino 

Sea 

C.  V.  Sprigg 

Cox 

S.  H.  Pickering 

Sea2c 

J.  Emerius 

CY 

H.  T.  Gower 

Sea2c 

A.  L.  Weyand 

CSt 

C.  C.  Otis 

F2C 

F.  J.  Robinson 

Sea2c 

D.  W.  Reese 

QM3c 

M.  D.  Trine 

Sea2c 

W.  E.  Geisner 

Sea 

P.  L.  Leggett 

Sea2c 

R.  C.  Rickell 

E12C 

E.  M.  Steger 

Sea 

W.  B.  Real 

F2C 

O.  H.  Scott 

CEr 

A.  Emeldi 

MMic 

E.  R.  White 

Oil 

R.  E.  Hill 

MM2c 

A.  T.  Villalobos 

Matt3c 

J.  W.  Wilson 

F2C 

F.  L.  Zellner 

SC4C 

S.  Watson 

CQM 

i 

F.  C.  Meyer 

F2C 

J.  H.  Davis 

CY 

D.  A.  Hammond 

E2cr 

H.  M.  Brady 

Sea 

O.  H.  Buell 

CPM 

W.  Hollingsworth 

Sea2c 

D.  B.  Rather 

Sea2c 

E.  R.  Small 

Sea2c 

r 

L.  B.  Freedman 

Cox 

W.  M.  Larson 

Sea2c 

L.  Burgess 

Sea2c 

J.  F.  Brumfidle 

F3c 

I 

J.  F.  Loye 

CMM 

F.  J.  Hill 

Y2C 

MEN  SHIPPED  AFTER  GOING  INTO  COMMISSION 

W.  L.  De  Camp 

CQM 

A.  J.  Isaacsen 

CM3c 

S.  E.  Ensign 

Sea2c 

R.  E.  Hubbell 

Sea2c 

L 

P.  Pedro 

Matt3c 

I 

KEY  TO 

ABBREVIATIONS  OF  RANK  AND  RATING 

N.  R.  F. 

Naval  Reserve  Force 

N.  N.  V. 

National  Naval  Volunteers 

C. 

Chief 

QM. 

Quartermaster 

E. 

Engineer 

f^ 

M. 

Machinist 

[ 

6] 

,                                           J 

REGULAR  AND  "TENDERFOOT" 


Key  to  Abbreviations  of  Rank  and  Rating  (Continued] 


MM. 

M  following  any  letters  of  rating 

Sea. 

SC. 

Cox. 

B. 

F. 

El. 

Elr. 

G. 

Y. 

BM. 

Matt. 

Oil. 

WT. 

Numeral'and  c  following  rating 


Machinist's  Mate 

Mate 

Seaman 

Ship's  Cook 

Coxswain 

Boatswain 

Fireman 

Electrician 

Radio  Electrician 

Gunner 

Yeoman 

Boatswain's  Mate 

Mess  Attendant 

Oiler 

Water  Tender 

Class  of  standing 


EXAMPLES 

CBM.,  Chief  Boatswain's  Mate;  Sea2c,  Seaman  Second  Class; 
MM ic,  Machinist's  Mate  First  Class;  Mattjc,  Mess  Attendant 
Third  Class;  CEr.,  Chief  Radio  Engineer;  Elg2c,  General  Electrician 
Second  Class. 

Captain  Porterfield  said  but  little  as  the  crew  piped 
away  to  quarters,  but  with  the  critical  eye  of  long  naval 
experience,  he  contemplated  his  staff  of  officers,  giving 
them  his  critical  "once  over"  with  orders  for  the  ordi- 
nary routine  of  watches  to  be  at  once  established.  If 
there  were  such  a  thing  as  a  mind-reader,  he  might  have 
detected  in  that  of  the  commander,  educated  to  the  nth 
degree  in  all  branches  of  naval  history,  tactics,  strategy, 
armament,  and  discipline,  no  little  foreboding  as  to  the 
entire  efficiency  of  the  roster  of  officers  assigned  to  the 
vessel  now  under  his  command.  This  for  the  reason 
that,  with  the  single  exception  of  himself,  it  was  entirely 
made  up  of  "  tenderfeet,"  a  nickname  which  Annapolis 
men  almost  invariably  apply  to  the  ambitious  but  inex- 


w\ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


perienced  volunteers  of  the  Naval  Reserve  Force.  It 
was  manifestly  his  repugnance  to  this  distinction  of 
caste  existing  between  the  professional  officer  and  the 
amateur,  which  caused  Secretary  Daniels  to  issue  his 
order  directing  that  both  branches  of  the  service  must 
wear  the  same  distinguishing  devices  on  uniforms  and 
caps,  so  that  no  line  of  invidious  comparison  could  pos- 
sibly be  drawn.  Truth  is,  however,  that  the  result 
aimed  at  was  never  very  satisfactorily  achieved,  for  the 
Annapolis  man  required  no  device  on  uniform  or  cap  for 
immediate  identification  from  the  "tenderfoot,"  while 
the  N.  R.  F.  man,  as  a  rule,  would  have  preferred  the 
inquisitive  to  know  at  a  glance  that  he  was  only  in  the 
service  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Truly,  this  line  of  distinction  is  not  so  noticeable  in 
the  enlisted  men  of  the  navy,  but  still,  it  is  drawn, 
nevertheless,  to  some  extent.  The  old  "man-o  '-wars- 
man"  smirks  with  the  domineering  disdain  of  profes- 
sionalism when  confronted  with  the  shipmate  from  the 
farm,  the  desk,  the  bank  wicket,  and  the  fabric  counter. 
Happily,  however,  the  Venetias  crew  suffered  but  little 
from  the  opprobrious  sallies  of  old  salts,  for,  like  the 
roster  of  watch  officers,  it  was  almost  entirely  "tender- 
footed,"  seventy-five  per  cent  Californian,  and  its  youth- 
ful enthusiasm,  added  to  the  cheerfulness,  celerity,  and 
efficiency  with  which  it  went  about  its  many-sided 
duties,  soon  obliterated  any  dividing  line  between  the 
two  ratings,  if,  indeed,  it  ever  seriously  existed  at  all. 

As  soon  as  the  stations  for  the  first  watch  were  as- 
signed, fires  were  lighted  under  one  of  the  boilers  for  the 
generation  of  steam  for  the  auxiliary  engines  and  galley, 
as  well  as  to  provide  the  ship  with  its  indispensable  elec- 
tric luminant.  To  Lieutenant  W.  G.  Krebs,  the  execu- 
tive officer,  fell  the  honor  of  standing  the  first  watch  on 

[8] 


REGULAR  AND  "TENDERFOOT" 


deck,  for  upon  him  devolved  the  duty  of  assigning  the 
stations  for  the  crew,  and  preparing  for  the  vast  quan- 
tity of  stores  and  armament  waiting  in  the  storehouses 
for  prompt  removal  and  "stowing  away  snug."  The 
first  regular  watch  from  12:00  to  4:0x5  was  stood  by 
Lieutenant  (J.  G.)  W.  G.  Donovan,  who  had  the  first 
opportunity  offered  for  the  sounding  of  a  fire  alarm  and 
assembling  a  fire  and  rescue  party.  This  first  fire  drill 
was  held  with  realistic  "settings"  in  response  to  a  call 
from  one  of  the  buildings  in  the  yard,  and  the  freshly 
enlisted  "gobs"  applied  their  hastily  acquired  knowl- 
edge with  the  precision  and  alertness  of  well  seasoned 
mariners. 

The  pressing  need  of  the  Venetia  in  the  war  zone  was 
not  difficult  of  conjecture,  for  the  mounting  of  her  guns, 
the  filling  of  her  magazines  with  ammunition,  the 
hurrying  aboard  and  stowing  away  of  stores,  and  pro- 
viding for  the  personal  comforts  of  officers  and  crew, 
were  effected  in  the  short  space  of  eight  busy  days,  when 
the  navy  yard  tug  Active  came  alongside,  towed  the 
Venetia  into  the  stream,  and  she  was  now  definitely  en- 
listed in  the  service  of  her  country,  the  eventful  day 
being  October  23,  1917. 

The  tug  stood  by  while  Paymaster  Schnetzler  went 
ashore  for  necessary  funds.  On  his  return  the  crew  was 
assembled,  all  found  present,  the  tow-lines  were  cast 
off,  and  the  Venetia  headed  down  San  Pablo  Bay,  for  the 
first  time  as  a  full-fledged  warship,  under  orders  to  pro- 
ceed without  delay  to  the  navy  yard  at  Norfolk,  Vir- 
ginia. 

As  she  steamed  slowly  out  of  Mare  Island  channel, 
even  vessels  under  way  whistled  salutes  to  her,  as  if  to 
wish  her  bon  voyage.  Added  to  this  compliment,  two  of 
the  anchored  cruisers  "manned  the  rigging"  as  a  kind  of 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


official  demonstration  in  acknowledgment  of  the  fact 
that  the  Venetia  was  the  first  craft  of  any  kind  to  depart 
from  Mare  Island  directly  for  the  war  zone. 

After  swinging  to  different  courses  off  Red  Rock  to 
correct  compasses,  thick,  foggy  weather  set  in,  and,  with 
her  fog  siren  sounding  at  regular  intervals,  she  proceeded 
proudly  down  San  Francisco  Bay,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
before  four  o'clock  anchored  in  "  Man-o'-War's  Row" 
opposite  the  city. 


''•9 


[10] 


COMMANDER  LEWIS   B.   PORTERFIELD 


CHAPTER  III 

WARDROOM   PERSONNEL 
"VENETIA'S"  OFFICERS— SKETCHES  OF  THEIR  LIVES. 

EFORE  recording  the  events  of  the  de- 
parture of  the  Venetia  upon  her  naval 
career  on  the  day  following  this  never- 
to-be-forgotten  twenty-third  of  Octo- 
ber, it  might  be  well  to  acquaint  the 
reader  with  the  faces  of  her  officers,  and 
at  the  same  time  preserve  for  future  reference  beyond 
the  war  days,  a  record  of  their  lives  furnished  by  them- 
selves, or  their  wives,  in  the  form  of  thumbnail  narrative. 

COMMANDER  LEWIS  PORTERFIELD,  U.  S.  N. 

The  Venetia  s  first  commander  comes  of  good  old 
Southern  stock,  whose  ancestry  dates  back  as  far  as  the 
landing  of  Oglethorpe,  and  first  saw  the  light  at  Green- 
ville, Alabama.  Information  as  to  the  date  of  his  birth 
has  not  been  given,  but  his  appointment  to  the  Naval 
Academy  from  his  native  state  in  1898  should  furnish 
sufficiently  accurate  material  for  an  arithmetical  calcu- 
lation as  to  his  approximate  age.  He  graduated,  after 
the  prescribed  four  years,  in  1902,  well  up  on  the  merit 
list,  and  was  assigned  to  the  battleship  Illinois,  then 
cruising  in  European  waters. 

Shortly  thereafter,  on  his  own  application,  he  was 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


assigned  to  the  China  Station  on  board  of  the  cruiser 
Chattanooga,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  Re- 
turning from  China,  he  served  for  a  year  with  the  ar- 
mored cruiser  West  Virginia^  and  in  1909  was  detailed 
to  the  Naval  Academy  as  an  instructor  in  mathematics, 
afterwards  becoming  instructor  in  military  tactics  and 
science.  Preferring  sea  duty  to  that  generally  preferred 
detail  on  shore,  he  asked  to  be  relieved  before  his  usual 
three  years  "on  the  Beach"  had  expired,  and  was  "sent 
a-fishing,"  as  some  naval  officers  are  pleased  to  call  as- 
signments to  the  U.  S.  Fisheries  Commission  vessel, 
Albatross. 

He  made  two  extended  cruises  in  Alaskan  waters, 
going  as  far  north  as  the  Pribyloff  Islands,  at  a  time 
when  there  was  a  recurrence  of  poaching  among  the  seal 
fisheries  there.  Before  the  European  war  he  was  in 
charge  of  the  recruiting  station  for  the  Southern  Dis- 
trict, with  headquarters  at  New  Orleans,  and,  on  ac- 
count of  his  excellent  record  in  that  service,  was  de- 
tached and  ordered  to  report  for  more  active  duties  in 
the  recruiting  station  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  immedi- 
ately following  the  declaration  of  war  by  the  United 
States. 

On  the  entry  of  the  Venetia  into  the  naval  service, 
Commander  Porterfield  was  detailed  to  her  as  com- 
manding officer,  and  remained  with  her  until  August, 
1918,  when  he  was  detached  to  command  the  cruiser 
Wheeling  under  orders  to  return  home. 

The  commander  is  in  every  essential  sense  an  ideal 
naval  officer,  as  the  stringent  course  of  study  at  Annap- 
olis insists  upon  making  its  graduates,  and  no  doubt  felt 
officially  lonesome  in  assuming  command  of  the  Venetiay 
as  being  the  only  machine-made  officer  aboard  of  her. 
However,  the  detail  was  made  in  deference  to  his  own 


WARDROOM     PERSONNEL 


request,  for,  having  seen  the  vessel  during  her  yachting 
days  in  San  Francisco  harbor,  he  applied  for  her  com- 
mand immediately  upon  her  acceptance  by  the  Govern- 
ment, and  this  request  was  gladly  granted.  An  intimate 
idea  of  his  character  and  bearing  is  furnished  by  an 
officer  who  served  with  him  during  his  command  of  his 
chosen  vessel: 

"  If  he  was  temperamental  and  flashed  fire  occasion- 
ally, he  was  as  quickly  over  it,  and  I  am  sure  never 
harbored  a  thought  of  malice  toward  a  single  man 
among  officers  or  crew.  We  were  all  sorry  when  he  was 
transferred,  and  all  of  us  will  remember  him  as  having 
been  a  sterling  officer  and  a  just  and  considerate  gentle- 
man." 

LIEUTENANT  WILLIAM  G.  KREBS,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 

As  this  book  is  being  written,  Lieutenant  Krebs,  who 
was  the  first  executive  officer  and  navigator  of  the  Vene- 
tia,  is  somewhere  at  sea  as  skipper  in  the  merchant  serv- 
ice, and  communications  requesting  his  photograph  and 
a  sketch  of  his  life  from  his  own  point  of  view  have 
probably  not  reached  him.  A  wardroom  mate,  however, 
who  knew  him — and  liked  him,  as  did  everyone  else — 
gives  an  exceedingly  favorable  account  of  him,  which 
will  serve  almost  adequately,  in  the  absence  of  the  per- 
sonal statement  which  it  has  not  been  possible  to  obtain. 

Prior  to  his  enlistment  in  the  U.  S.  N.  R.  F.  he  had 
served  as  first  officer,  and  then  commander,  of  merchant 
vessels  with  distinction  for  many  years,  and  conse- 
quently was  well  equipped  for  the  duties  of  navigator. 
He  often  clashed  with  Captain  Porterfield,  however,  as 
to  the  best  approved  methods  of  navigation,  for,  be  it 
said,  there  is  a  broad  and  arbitrary  difference  between 
navigation  as  taught  at  the  Naval  Academy  and  the 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


i 

:\ 


apparently  equally  efficient  but  somewhat  haphazard 
and  speculative  kind  as  learned  by  experience  in  the 
merchant  marine.  These  ruptures  culminated  in  a  dis- 
pute on  arrival  at  Bermuda,  and  his  free  and  easy  dis- 
position led  him  into  an  intentional  breach  of  naval 
etiquette,  which  resulted  in  his  detachment  from  the 
Venetia  and  orders  home.  He  was  a  courteous  and 
affable  fellow,  and  in  many  ways  exceptionally  brilliant. 
A  fluent  conversationalist,  possessed  of  a  remarkable 
memory  for  recitation ;  very  well  read,  and  an  agreeable 
companion,  his  summary  detachment  was  regretted  by 
every  man  in  the  wardroom,  not  even  excepting  the 
commander  himself,  through  whom  it  was  ordered. 

LIEUTENANT  FRANK  M.  PERRY,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 

The  Venetia  s  Engineer  Officer,  modestly  evaded  the 
invitation  to  give  a  resume  of  his  life  and  career,  but  an 
enthusiastic  shipmate  and  admirer  had  this  to  say  of 
him,  and  said  it  with  a  show  of  manly  feeling  which  left 
no  doubt  whatever  as  to  its  entire  sincerity: 

"Too  much  cannot  be  said  of  Frank  Perry.  He  came 
into  the  reserves  from  the  collier  service  and  has  been  all 
over  the  world  with  these  Naval  Auxiliary  ships.  He  is 
surely  one  of  the  best  engineer  officers  afloat,  a  con- 
scientious and  hard  worker  who  takes  keen  pride  in  his 
work.  He  is  master  of  his  engine-room,  and  knows  how 
to  get  results  with  his  crew.  It  was  quite  remarkable 
how  he  whipped  an  absolutely  green  crew  into  shape  in 
so  short  a  space  of  time,  kept  the  engines  running  per- 
fectly, and  we  never  suffered  a  moment's  delay  through 
engine  trouble  during  our  entire  time  of  service.  He 
was  in  the  engine-room,  seemingly  morning,  noon  and 
night,  doing  a  large  part  of  the  work  himself,  until  he 
had  his  crew  thoroughly  trained. 


LIEUT.  FRANK  M.  PERRY  (Chief  Engineer) 


WARDROOM     PERSONNEL 


"Every  man  in  the  'Black  Gang'  was  with  him  and 
for  him,  because  he  knew  that  he  knew.  This  proves 
that  a  man  is  all  the  happier  when  he  is  worked  hard,  for 
'  the  Chief  surely  did  work  them  for  all  the  work  that 
was  in  them.  On  inspection  days  one  could  have  spread 
a  white  tablecloth  anywhere  in  the  engine-  or  fire-rooms 
without  soiling  it.  Perry  has  a  good  sense  of  humor, 
somewhat  covered  with  a  pose  of  crabbedness  that  is 
of  itself  provocative  of  humor.  'Baiting  the  Chief  was 
one  of  the  main  forms  of  wardroom  amusement  during 
the  entire  cruise,  and  his  great  earnestness  led  to  the 
'getting  of  his  goat'  many,  many  times.  He  has  a  home 
and  a  family  of  two  children  in  Oakland,  California, 
and  would  not  hail  from  anywhere  else  for  all  the 
world." 

ASSISTANT  SURGEON  PAUL  M.  DRAKE,  U.  S.  N. 

The  "Ship's  Doctor"  is  a  young  man,  standing  six 
feet  two  in  his  stockings,  whom  devotion  to  duty  and 
close  application  to  study  have  given  a  standing  far 
above  many  in  the  service  with  twice  his  experience.  He 
was  born  at  Manhattan,  Kansas,  July  8,  1891,  and  after 
a  thorough  high  school  education  at  Denver,  Colorado, 
he  received  the  degree  of  A.  B.  after  two  years  at  the 
College  of  Idaho,  and  in  1916  became  an  M.  D.  on 
graduation  from  a  medical  course  at  the  University  of 
Kansas.  He  immediately  became  an  interne  at  the  Uni- 
versity Hospital,  and  on  the  entry  of  his  country  into 
the  war  enrolled  as  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Naval  Re- 
serve Force.  His  first  active  duty  was  begun  at  Mare 
Island  Navy  Yard,  May  15,  1917,  and  in  July  of  that 
year  he  was  duly  commissioned  as  assistant  surgeon  in 
the  regular  navy  and  attached  to  the  naval  hospital  at 
that  important  station.  When  the  Venetia  came  to  Mare 

L'5] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


Island  to  be  outfitted,  Dr.  Drake  applied  for  regular  sea 
service  and  was  assigned  to  her,  remaining  with  her  from 
outfitting  to  final  going  out  of  commission,  with  a 
personal  and  medical  record  of  which  he  may  well  be 
proud.  He  is  at  present  attached  to  the  naval  hospital 
at  Mare  Island,  and  has  stated  his  intention  of  remain- 
ng  permanently  in  the  naval  service. 

LIEUTENANT  (J.  G.)  JOHN  B.  ARMSTRONG,  U.  S.  N.  N.  V. 

This  very  youthful  but  most  efficient  officer,  by  some 
years  the  youngest  of  the  Venetians  first  wardroom 
officers,  was  born  in  Ellensburg,  Oregon,  on  February 
12,  1895.  His  family  moved  to  Tacoma  in  1907,  where, 
after  a  rudimentary  preparation  in  the  public  schools, 
he  entered  the  high  school,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1913.  He  had  already  developed  a  fondness 
for  the  deep  blue  sea,  for  in  1910  he  enlisted  in  the 
Washington  Naval  Militia  as  an  apprentice  seaman, 
in  which  service  he  continued  with  as  much  enthusiasm 
as  it  then  demanded,  and  upon  graduation  entered  the 
employ  of  the  well  known  shipping  firm  of  Dodwell  & 
Co.,  Limited.  On  March  16,  1914,  he  was  commissioned 
ensign  in  the  Naval  Militia,  and  in  the  following  year 
was  promoted  to  the  grade  of  lieutenant  (J.  G.).  On 
account  of  the  pressure  of  business,  however,  he  was 
compelled  to  interrupt  his  active  interest  in  the  militia, 
and,  on  his  own  request,  was  transferred  to  the  Naval 
Militia  Reserve.  On  the  entry  of  the  United  States 
into  the  war,  he  severed  his  connection  with  the  busi- 
ness firm,  and  adopted  the  more  important  but  less 
profitable  business  of  serving  his  country,  by  enlisting 
in  the  Naval  Reserve  Force,  later  on  excepted  in  toto 
by  the  Government  and  renamed  the  National  Naval 
Volunteers. 

[.6] 


WARDROOM     PERSONNEL 


He  was  ordered  to  the  Venetia  September  9,  1917, 
and  was  on  board  as  watch  officer  when  the  vessel  was 
commissioned.  From  January,  1918,  to  November,  1918, 
he  was  executive  officer,  and  when  she  was  placed  out 
of  commission,  after  a  brief  period  of  duty  at  the  Mare 
Island  Navy  Yard,  he  was  released  to  inactive  duty, 
with  this  good  report  of  him  furnished  by  a  shipmate: 

"Jack  is  good  looking,  of  a  sunshiny  nature,  keenly 
enjoys  a  good  time,  and  is  the  life  of  any  party.  He 
worked  his  way  from  an  apprentice  seaman  to  lieuten- 
ant (J.  G.)  in  the  Naval  Militia  by  hard  work,  study, 
and  attention  to  duty.  While  very  young,  he  is  ex- 
ceedingly manly  for  his  age,  an  efficient  officer,  and  a 
most  likable  shipmate." 

LIEUTENANT  (J.  G.)  WILLIAM  G.  DONOVAN,  U.S.N.N.V. 

Like  Lieutenant  Armstrong,  this  excellent  young 
officer  hails  from  the  state  of  Washington,  and  held 
the  rank  of  gunnery  officer  in  the  Naval  Militia  for 
several  years,  rinding  time  to  devote  to  that  valuable 
service  in  addition  to  his  exacting  duties  as  president  of 
the  Donovan  Lumber  Company  of  Seattle.  He  is  thirty- 
five  years  of  age,  having  been  born  in  Ludington,  Michi- 
gan, in  1884.  Previous  to  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  he 
was  in  command  of  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  Naval 
Militia  of  Washington,  and  on  the  day  the  war  was 
declared,  April  6,  1917,  was  ordered  to  report  with  his 
command,  consisting  of  fourteen  officers  and  two 
hundred  and  twenty  men,  at  the  Puget  Sound  Navy 
Yard,  when  he  was  assigned  to  U.  S.  Saratoga.  On 
September  8,  1917,  he  was  detached  from  that  vessel 
and  ordered  to  report  to  the  commandant  of  the  navy 
yard  at  Mare  Island,  for  duty  in  connection  with  the 
fitting  out  of  the  Venetia^  and  to  continue  on  board  of 

[17] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


her  when  commissioned.  He  then  entered  upon  his 
more  active  naval  career  as  ordnance  and  gunnery  offi- 
cer, with  an  enthusiasm  and  insight  as  to  its  duties  that 
seemed  to  promise  for  him  a  brilliant  record  overseas. 
Unfortunately,  however,  for  both  the  service  and  him- 
self, he  developed  an  alarming  case  of  pneumonia 
shortly  before  reaching  Panama,  and  was  with  deep 
regret  removed  to  the  U.  S.  Naval  Hospital  at  Ancon, 
interrupting  an  ambitious  career  brilliantly  begun,  for 
in  addition  to  being  in  every  way  courteous,  sincere, 
affable,  and  genuine,  he  was  already  an  efficient  officer. 
After  six  weeks  in  the  hospital,  he  applied  again  for 
active  service  and  was  ordered  to  U.  S.  'Tallahassee 
(then  stationed  at  Colon),  where  he  stayed  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  war  period,  and  saw  active  service  dur- 
ing the  Atlantic  Coast  U-boat  raids.  On  his  discharge 
from  the  service  he  returned  to  his  home  at  Aberdeen, 
Washington,  where  he  is  now  engaged  once  more  in  the 
lumber  trade,  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Naval 
Militia. 

ENSIGN  DAVID  V.  NICOLINI,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 

This  earnest  and  capable  officer,  familiarly  known  as 
"Nick,"  although  not  born  of  the  sea  was  certainly  born 
for  it,  and  in  every  way  justified  the  horology  of  his 
birth-constellation,  which  was,  in  all  probability,  Aqua- 
rius. He  was  born  in  San  Francisco,  September  20, 
1878,  received  a  public  school  education,  and  was, 
much  against  his  will,  apprenticed  in  turn  to  a  tailor 
and  a  plumber.  But  the  lure  of  the  "vasty  deep"  was 
ever  on  him,  and,  severing  the  maternal  apron-strings, 
he  made  several  cruises  on  the  clipper  ship  Shenandoah 
between  San  Francisco  and  New  York.  Then  he  shipped 
on  board  of  the  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.'s  steamer  Walla  Walla, 

[18] 


LIEUT.  J.   B.  ARMSTRONG 


ASST.   SURGEON   P.  M.   DRAKE 


LIEUT.  W.  G.  DONOVAN 


ENSIGN  D.  V.  NICOLINI 


WARDROOM     PERSONNEL 


and  was  transferred  to  another  vessel  ten  days  before 
the  Walla  Walla  was  rammed  and  sunk,  thereby  demon- 
strating that  his  birth-constellation  was  a  lucky  one  for 
this  time  at  least.  On  the  steamer  Cottage  City,  however, 
he  made  many  trips  between  Seattle  and  Alaska,  and 
remained  with  her  until  she  was  shipwrecked  on  the 
Alaskan  coast.  Then  followed  several  trips  on  the  run 
from  Alaska  to  Nome  as  quartermaster  of  the  S.  S. 
Oregon,  after  which,  as  third  officer  of  the  S.  S.  Santa 
Clara,  he  was  again  shipwrecked  off  Humboldt  Bar. 
Believing  that  the  Northeast  Coast  was  an  unlucky 
one,  he  shipped  in  the  service  of  the  Oceanic  Steamship 
Company  on  various  steamers  running  to  Australia, 
and  then  joined  the  yacht  Venetia,  on  which  he  served, 
by  rapid  stages  of  advancement,  as  third  officer,  radio 
officer,  and  first  officer,  through  many  cruises  with 
Mr.  Spreckels.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  offered  his 
services  to  his  country,  served  on  board  of  the  Venetia 
until  within  a  few  weeks  of  the  termination  of  her  war 
career,  and  hopes  to  be  again  one  of  her  officers  as  soon 
as  she  has  been  finally  surrendered  by  the  Government. 

ENSIGN  VOLNEY  E.  HOWARD,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 

Ensign  Howard,  division  and  watch  officer,  comes  of 
the  best  California  stock,  being  the  grandson  and  name- 
sake of  Colonel  Volney  E.  Howard,  pioneer  attorney  of 
great  distinction,  to  whom  was  entrusted  the  framing 
of  the  first  Constitution  of  the  state  of  California.  His 
mother  was  Miss  Kate  Whiting,  eldest  daughter  of 
Colonel  Whiting,  for  many  years  Indian  Commissioner 
for  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  afterwards  a  prominent  land 
owner  in  the  Los  Angeles  of  early  days.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  in  the  southern  metropolis  Febru- 
ary 6,  1879.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 

[19] 


<J 
m 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


and  high  school  of  Los  Angeles,  but,  preferring  a  busi- 
ness career,  instead  of  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
illustrious  grandfather,  he  decided  not  to  pursue  a  col- 
lege course  and  entered  the  insurance  business,  in  which 
he  has  been  more  than  usually  successful.  A  fondness 
for  salt  water  was  inspired  by  small-boat  yachting  in 
the  waters  contiguous  to  San  Pedro,  and  on  the  out- 
break of  the  war  he  at  once  enlisted  in  the  Naval  Re- 
serves, being  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  the  tentative  rank 
of  ensign,  the  duties  of  which  he  was  compelled  to 
perform  while  preparing  himself  for  the  examination 
which  secured  him  his  commission  at  the  end  of  three 
months.  He  described  his  work  at  the  San  Pedro  Train- 
ing Station  as  having  been  most  confining,  for  he  was 
soon  appointed  an  instructor,  and,  having  had  no  naval 
experience  whatever,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  "bone 
up"  at  night  on  the  lessons  he  was  expected  to  teach  on 
the  following  day.  Fearing  that  he  might  be  retained 
in  this  unwarlike  routine,  he  applied  for  sea  service  and 
was  assigned  to  the  Venetia,  remaining  with  her  from 
her  outfitting  to  her  placing  out  of  commission  soon 
after  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  Ensign  Howard  re- 
mained in  the  service  for  several  months,  attached  to 
the  offices  of  the  Twelfth  Naval  District,  when  he  was 
finally  discharged,  and  now  resides  with  his  wife  and 
two  children  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  is  building  up  a 
business  in  the  iron  and  steel  trade. 

ENSIGN  STANLEY  S.  SCHNETZLER,  PAYMASTER  U.  S.  N. 

The  Venetia  "Pay"  was  born  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  Sep- 
tember 14, 1893;  attended  the  public  schools  there,  then 
Wayland  Academy  at  Beaver  Dam,  Wisconsin,  which  is 
an  affiliated  preparatory  school  for  the  University  of 
Chicago.  Before  entering  upon  his  projected  course, 


[20] 


LIEUT.   S.  S.   SCHNETZLER 


ENSIGN  VOLNEY  E.  HOWARD 


(Paymaster) 


LIEUT    W.  L.   DE  CAMP 


WARDROOM     PERSONNEL 


however,  he  removed  to  California  with  his  mother, 
took  up  a  residence  at  Palo  Alto,  and  was  graduated 
from  Stanford  University  in  the  class  of  1917.  Im- 
mediately upon  graduation  he  decided  upon  a  naval 
career,  began  a  course  of  study  at  Mare  Island  Navy 
Yard  for  the  Pay  Corps,  and  then  transferred  to  the 
Naval  Pay  School  at  Washington,  D.  C.  When  the 
Venetia  entered  the  service  he  was  detailed  to  the  many 
duties  embodied  in  her  outfitting,  was  with  her  con- 
stantly during  her  service  overseas,  and  assisted  in 
placing  her  out  of  commission.  Having  adopted  the 
Paymaster's  service  with  the  intention  of  remaining  in 
it  permanently,  after  a  few  months'  duty  at  Mare 
Island,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and 
is  now  an  assistant  paymaster,  attached  to  U.  S.  S. 
Colhoun  at  Boston. 

It  is  said  that  at  first  the  Venetia  wardroom  officers 
regarded  him  with  some  little  suspicion  on  account  of 
his  name.  But  in  spite  of  his  assurance  that  his  ances- 
tors had  been  Swiss  to  the  backbone,  he  had  already 
been  given  the  nickname  of  "Prush"  and  it  still  clings 
to  him,  as  nicknames  in  the  navy  always  do.  He  is  a 
typical  paymaster,  which  means  that  he  is  a  good  watch- 
dog over  his  section  of  the  U.  S.  Treasury ;  never  pays 
out  a  cent  except  under  pressure,  and  never  makes  a 
mistake  in  his  accounts.  In  addition  to  his  official 
efficiency,  he  is  well  bred,  handsome,  well  read,  an  in- 
teresting conversationalist,  and  a  prime  favorite  with 
the  ladies. 

LIEUTENANT  (J.  G.)  W.  L.  DE  CAMP,  U.  S.  N. 

This  sterling  young  officer  had  not  yet  reached  this 
rank  when  he  joined  the  Venetia  at  Mare  Island.  He 
was  then  chief  quartermaster  only,  but  water  does  not 

[ai] 


I 

r  ••' 


c 

r 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


reach  its  level  with  more  certainty  than  does  efficiency 
in  the  navy — especially  during  war  times — and  of  this 
axiom  De  Camp  proved  indeed  a  shining  example. 

He  entered  the  regular  navy  when  only  sixteen  years 
of  age  as  an  apprentice,  and,  at  once  developing  a  liking 
for  wigwagging,  he  devoted  himself  to  that  branch  of 
the  service  with  such  assiduity  and  show  of  skill  that 
long  before  he  was  eighteen  he  had  gained  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  most  expert  and  accurate  signalmen 
in  the  navy.  Popular  with  officers  and  men  alike,  he 
made  his  value  apparent  at  once,  and  when  he  asserted 
that  he  would  not  be  long  a  chief  quartermaster  every- 
body believed  him,  because  there  was  no  time  off  duty 
when  he  could  not  be  found  at  close  study.  On  arrival 
at  Philadelphia,  under  recommendation  from  Captain 
Porterfield,  he  applied  for  examination  in  the  rank  of 
ensign,  passed  a  little  better  than  satisfactorily,  and 
received  his  commission  shortly  after  arrival  at  Gibral- 
tar. Not  satisfied  with  this,  however,  he  continued  his 
studies,  and  was  soon  rewarded  with  the  commission  of 
lieutenant  (J.  G.)  in  the  regular  service,  a  rank  which 
he  was  holding  as  executive  officer  of  U.  S.  S.  Black 
Hawk  when  this  sketch  was  written. 

ENSIGN  JOHN  ALEXANDER,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 

This  ambitious  young  salt  was  assigned  to  the  Venetia 
with  the  grade  of  boatswain,  but  he  had  too  much  ex- 
perience as  a  practical  seafaring  man  to  continue  very 
long  as  a  petty  officer  on  a  vessel  whose  watch  officers 
were  mostly  amateurs.  Naturally,  then,  this  extended 
and  varied  experience,  added  to  a  liking  for  close  and 
persistent  study,  stood  him  in  such  good  stead  that  he 
had  earned  a  seat  in  the  wardroom  mess  before  the 
Venetia  steamed  away  from  Mare  Island.  He  had  been 

[Ml 


WARDROOM     PERSONNEL 


a  deep-water  sailor  during  most  of  his  life,  had  fought 
through  many  gales  in  stranger  seas,  and,  with  the  hard 
knocks  inseparable  from  such  a  career,  had  gained  a  con- 
siderable store  of  practical  knowledge.  A  plain,  blunt, 
hearty  seaman  in  the  rough,  he  provided  himself  with  a 
fairly  complete  education  through  burning  the  midnight 
oil  when  off  duty,  besides  taking  correspondence  courses 
in  navigation  and  such  other  studies  as  should  complete 
the  official  standing  of  a  "pilot  throughout  the  wide 
courses  of  the  mysterious  deep."  The  Venetia  lost  a 
good  officer  when  "Jack"  was  detached  at  Bermuda  and 
ordered  to  the  command  of  the  seagoing  tug  Earnegat 
to  replace  her  former  chief  officer,  "surveyed"  out  of  the 
service. 


ii 


CHAPTER  IV 


SOUTHWARD    HO! 

RESERVES    VERSUS    THE    REGULAR    NAVY  — AN     OLD    SALT    "  CALLED 
DOWN*'— BRIEF  TOUCH  AT  SAN  DIEGO— BOUND  FOR  PANAMA. 


T  1 : 25  in  the  afternoon  of  October  24th, 
Executive  Officer  Krebs  reported  to 
Captain  Porterfield  that  the  steam  siren 
had  been  tested,  the  engine-room  tele- 
graphs and  steering  engines  proved 
O.  K.,  and  that  the  ship  was  ready  to 
proceed  to  sea.  With  the  laconic  "very  well"  of  the  com- 
mander, who  proceeded  at  once  to  his  plate-glass  con- 
ning station  in  the  pilot-house,  preparations  were  made 
to  get  under  way  with  Lieutenant  (J.  G.)  J.  B.  Arm- 
strong, N.  N.  V.,  as  officer  of  the  deck.  All  hands  were 
called,  heaving  in  began  at  once,  anchor  was  aweigh  at 
2:06,  at  2: 15  the  order  to  stand  by  was  given,  and  at  2:16 
the  Venetias  engines  responded  to  the  telegraph  from 
the  pilot-house,  and  under  "slow  ahead"  she  headed 
for  Golden  Gate  bound  for  the  zones  of  conflict. 

This  was  indeed  good-bye.  To  Captain  Porterfield 
(the  commanding  officer  of  a  vessel  is  always  auto- 
matically promoted  to  that  rank,  no  matter  what  his 
commissioned  rating  may  be)  it  was  an  old  story,  for 
departure  toward  belligerent  waters  was  merely  one  of 
the  ever-welcome  necessities  of  his  glorious  calling.  To 


SOUTHWARD     HO! 


the  experienced,  weather-beaten  and  "scrap-loving" 
jackies  it  was  equally  a  matter,  not  so  much  of  indif- 
ference as  of  self-congratulation,  that,  after  the  long 
weeks  of  getting  into  fighting  trim,  the  ship  was  under 
way  at  last  and  there  would  be  "something  doing"  in 
the  not  very  distant  beyond. 

But  to  the  young  officers,  commissioned  after  as  many 
months  of  intensive  training  as  those  of  the  regular  serv- 
ice had  taken  years  to  accomplish,  it  was  a  different 
matter — one  of  speculation,  of  doubt,  of  mental  calcu- 
lation, and  mystery  yet  to  be  fathomed  beyond  the 
misty  horizons  toward  which  they  sped,  to  emerge  into 
the  light  of  experiences  they  knew  not  of.  Such,  too, 
must  have  been  the  mental  attitudes  of  the  young  vol- 
unteer mariners  of  the  crew  who  were  making  their  first 
communion  with  the — at  least  to  them — mysterious 
sea,  which  might  bring  forth  pleasure  or  adventure, 
disaster,  suffering  or  death,  according  to  the  will  of  the 
Almighty.  They  were  in  His  hands  now,  and  those  who 
had  been  schooled  in  the  comforting  teachings  of  re- 
ligious faith  or  established  creed  must  have  felt  their 
souls  moved  by  a  sense  of  hopeful  security  not  shared  by 
those  consciences  tutored  in  the  vastly  more  confusing 
pretenses  of  heresy  and  unbelief. 

Whatever  misgivings,  doubts — and  perhaps  there 
were  fears,  too — in  the  minds  of  the  Venetias  heroes-to- 
be,  they  must  have  been  dispelled  in  contemplation  of 
the  honors  and  glories  of  her  destiny,  as  yet  unfulfilled, 
but  in  which  each  one  of  them  felt  as  sure  he  was  one 
day  to  share  as  he  was  certain  to  be  part  of  her  day  and 
night  routine. 

These  thoughts  and  many  others,  hopeful,  despairing, 
and  foreboding,  must  have  encumbered  many  minds  in 
the  Venetias  personnel  as  she  pulsed  her  way  past  the 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


\ 


city  front,  Fort  Scott,  Alcatraz,  the  Exposition  grounds, 
Fort  Point,  and  Bonita  Light,  with  the  Pacific's  breezes 
chanting  her  song  of  revenge,  and  the  hum  of  her  engines 
taking  up  the  soulful  refrain,  "Remember  the  Lusi- 
tania!" 

Just  before  sunset  the  life-boat  crews  were  mustered 
for  drill  for  the  first  time  in  active  service,  and  every  one 
of  the  boys  thrilled  with  that  gnawing  appetite  for  work 
which  has  been  characteristic  of  the  Yankee  tar  ever 
since  there  was  an  American  Navy  and  a  just  cause  for 
it  to  defend.  At  nightfall  all  lights  were  ordered  out, 
also  for  the  first  time,  for  in  the  zones  of  danger  the 
slightest  spark  might  betray  the  ship's  location  to  an 
enemy,  and  officers  and  crew  must  accustom  themselves 
to  perform  their  duties  in  darkness.  This  was  no  easy 
matter  at  first,  and  frequently  occasioned  remarks  both 
jocular  and  profane.  But  the  latter  were  more  or  less 
leavened  by  overflowing  good-nature,  except  among  the 
selfish  few  to  whom  the  lighting  of  a  single  cigarette 
would  mean  the  convening  of  a  court  martial. 

At  sunset  the  next  afternoon  Point  Arguello  Light 
gave  silent  notice  that  the  Venetia  was  abreast  of  Santa 
Barbara.  Two  men  of  the  watch  stood  close  together 
peering  over  the  port  bow  toward  the  light.  One  of  them 
leaned  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  other  and  sobbed  loud 
enough  for  a  near-by  boatswain's  mate  to  hear,  and  he 
laughed.  The  young  man  who  had  attracted  this  un- 
usual attention  turned  with  an  angry  start,  dried  his 
cheek  upon  his  sleeve,  and  spoke: 

"What's  troubling  you?" 

"Well,  nothin'  much,"  replied  the  mate,  a  trifle  sur- 
prised at  the  aggressive  attitude  of  his  questioner.  "But 
I  think  you  orter  know  right  here  that  it's  men  we  want 
in  this  service,  not  babies." 


SOUTHWARD     HO! 


"You  mind  your  damn  business,  will  you?"  was  the 
retort.  "I  wouldn't  trust  any  man  who  hadn't  a  touch 
of  the  woman  in  his  soul,  further  than  the  length  of  one 
of  those  guns  there.  And  listen.  My  home's  the  other 
side  of  that  light,  and  just  before  we  sailed  they  wired 
me  that  my  old  mother  had  died  and  they  were  to  bury 
her  to-day.  Baby,  eh  ?  Some  day  or  other  there  may  be 
a  spent  torpedo  sloshing  about  alongside  of  us,  and  I'll 
be  fast  to  it  screwing  off  the  war-head  while  you're  on 
deck  piping  out  your  prayers." 

The  reply  of  the  mate  was  profanely  enthusiastic  as 
he  grasped  the  young  seaman  by  the  hand,  asked  his 
pardon  for  having  made  such  a  (phrase  deleted)  mistake 
with  reference  to  his  manhood.  Then,  with  an  outburst 
of  admiring  blasphemy,  he  voiced  his  belief  that  the 
threat  with  reference  to  the  torpedo  would  be  duly 
carried  out  at  the  first  opportunity.  As  for  himself, 
however,  he  would  be  on  deck  all  right  during  this  fool- 
hardy proceeding,  but  the  kid  was  wrong  in  regard  to 
the  prayers,  for  he  "never  knowed  none." 

At  sunrise  the  next  morning  Point  Loma  Light  bore 
directly  ahead  and  at  7:47  the  Venetia  was  abeam  of  it 
and  heading  toward  the  channel  to  San  Diego  harbor. 
While  a  touch  at  the  home  port  was  mainly  for  the  pur- 
pose of  sending  one  of  the  crew  to  the  naval  hospital, 
Captain  Porterfield  believed  that  further  official  orders 
might  be  awaiting  him  there,  and,  moreover,  he  had  a 
notion  that  Mr.  Spreckels  might  be  interested  further  to 
inspire  his  patriotism  by  personally  noting  how  much 
less  ornamental  and  much  more  businesslike  in  her 
amazing  camouflage  his  beautiful  yacht  had  become  in 
so  brief  a  space  of  time.  But  Mr.  Spreckels  was  absent 
from  his  residence,  and  after  a  hurried  call  upon  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Torktown  and  the  re- 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


ceiving  of  the  expected  orders,  Captain  Porterfield 
directed  that  permission  to  get  at  once  under  way  be 
signaled  to  the  station  commander.  This  being  granted 
in  accordance  with  naval  procedure,  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  the  Venetians  anchor  was  aweigh  and  she  stood  out 
for  the  open  sea  heading  south. 


[18] 


CHAPTER  V 


INTENSIVE  TRAINING 

ALONG  THE  COAST— EXHAUSTIVE  DRILLS —SECOND-HAND  ARMAMENT 
—  DOTTER  PRACTICE— FIRST  BAPTISM  OF  BAD  WEATHER- 
TREACHEROUS  TEHUANTEPEC. 

HE  first  days  down  the  coast  of  Lower 
California  were  quite  devoid  of  interest 
to  the  many  young  men  of  the  crew,  who 
up  to  the  present  time  had  regarded 
their  connection  with  Venetias  per- 
sonnel as  being  more  or  less  of  a  vaca- 
tional  yachting  cruise.  Save  for  the  occasional  hazy 
outlines  of  that  ruggedly  mountainous  and  residentially 
inadvisable  coast,  with  now  and  then  a  passing  glimpse 
of  distinctly  desert  islands,  there  was  little  to  record  in 
the  numerous  diaries  aboard.  Moreover,  if  there  had 
been  any,  there  was  no  time  for  literary  efforts,  except 
during  the  off-watch  hours.  There  were  never  any 
lights  visible  during  the  night  watches,  the  regulations 
with  reference  to  a  darkened  ship  being  rigidly  enforced 
always,  except  for  uncertain  intervals  of  very  few 
minutes'  duration. 

But  the  daylight  hours  were  never  idle  ones,  for  in  one 
way  or  another  there  was  bustle  and  activity  always. 
Evidently  Captain  Porterfield  had  made  up  his  mind 
never  to  deviate  the  fraction  of  a  point  from  the  wise 

[49] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


and  inflexible  law  written  in  the  books  of  experience, 
that  preaching  is  one  thing  and  practice  entirely  another. 
Aside  from  himself,  all  the  Venetias  watch  officers  were 
Reserve  men.  All  had  been  duly  commissioned,  after 
searching  examinations,  because  of  official  belief  in  their 
ability  to  perform  satisfactorily  all  the  duties  attached 
to  their  respective  ranks,  and  the  enlisted  personnel  was 
as  likely  a  body  of  patriotic  young  men  as  had  ever  been 
assigned  to  a  war-vessel,  after  months  of  intensive 
training  at  San  Pedro  and  other  naval  stations. 

But  the  officer  of  the  regular  navy,  with  every  quali- 
fication for  fitness  in  the  service  educated  and  disci- 
plined into  him,  is  "from  Missouri."  He  must  be  shown 
that  every  one  of  the  sturdy  machines  placed  under  his 
command  will  function  to  his  own  personal  satisfaction, 
for,  once  at  sea,  no  one  else  has  anything  to  say  to  the 
contrary,  and  the  skipper's  will  is  law. 

So  drills,  surveys,  tryouts,  and  examinations  were 
frequent,  and,  in  fact,  almost  continuous.  Immediately 
after  leaving  San  Diego,  Dr.  Drake  was  ordered  to  test 
the  eyes  of  battery  officers,  gun's  crews,  and  deck  forces, 
irrespective  of  previous  examinations  and  signed  cer- 
tificates of  O.  K.  The  captain  had  determined  to  satisfy 
himself  that  there  must  be  no  mistakes  in  detecting  the 
colors  on  blinking  signal  lights  at  night,  or  waving  sema- 
phores by  day,  so  with  the  characteristic  loyalty  of 
commanders  afloat  to  their  own,  he  must  have  the 
opinion  of  his  ship's  doctor,  no  matter  what  any  number 
of  others  had  reported.  The  boat  crews  were  drilled 
many  times  in  fitting  out  their  boats  for  "abandon 
ship" ;  there  were  small-arm  and  fire  drills,  and  intensive 
training  in  finding  one's  way  about  in  the  darkness. 

Before  leaving  Mare  Island,  Captain  Porterfield  had 
expressed  displeasure  at  the  three-inch  guns  supplied 


[30] 


INTENSIVE     TRAINING 


the  ship,  for  they  were  hastily  placed  aboard  from  a 
cruiser  now  laid  up  in  ordinary,  but  it  was  shown  that 
there  were  no  others  available  within  the  time  that  the 
Venetia  must  be  in  commission.  Then,  too,  the  gun- 
platforms  did  not  at  all  conform  to  his  notion  of  what 
they  should  be,  and  so,  in  the  quiet  waters  of  the  rapidly 
nearing  tropics,  the  entire  machinist's  force  was  set  to 
work  enlarging  and  strengthening  them.  This  done, 
the  crews  were  assembled  for  exhaustive  gun  drills, 
sight-setting,  and  "dotter  practice." 

For  the  benefit  of  the  landsman  who  may  not  have 
prepared  himself  for  a  quiz  on  naval  terms  and  prac- 
tices, it  is  explained  that  dotter  practice  is  a  rudimen- 
tary drill  in  gun  pointing,  training  and  firing.  The 
dotter,  as  its  name  implies,  is  an  appliance  set  up  on  the 
gun,  upon  which  is  a  small  target  connected  electrically 
with  the  sights,  and  upon  which  dots  are  punctured 
when  hits  are  made.  These  hits  are  supposititious  only, 
in  that  the  gun  is  sighted  upon  a  distant  object,  the 
trigger  pulled,  and  if  the  sight  be  true,  it  will  be  re- 
corded upon  the  dotter  target. 

This  course  of  rudimentary  gunfire,  having  been 
declared  complete  when  the  dotter  recorded  several 
bull's-eye  hits,  a  floating  target  was  launched  overboard 
and  the  ship  moved  away  to  a  distance  of  approximately 
two  thousand  yards.  One  round  of  ammunition  was 
furnished  to  each  gun,  the  platforms  were  manned  by 
full  crews,  and  everything  was  reported  ready.  Instruc- 
tion was  passed  about  by  the  experienced  as  to  the  most 
approved  ways  of  resisting  the  shock  of  gunfire,  and 
then  came  the  order: 

"Number  One— Fire!" 

The  trigger  yielded  with  a  click,  responsive  to  the 
nervous  jerk  from  the  "shooting  finger"  of  the  gun  cap- 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


tain,  but  Number  One  refused  to  respond  and  remained 
stubbornly  silent,  while  Captain  Porterfield  gave  every 
pantomimic  gesture  that  might  express  indignant  con- 
tempt. It  was  duly  reported  that  Number  One  had 
misfired,  owing  to  a  defective  firing-pin,  and  the  breech- 
block remained  closed  for  the  twenty  minutes  required 
by  the  regulations,  after  which  time  somebody's  mistake 
or  oversight  with  reference  to  the  defective  firing-pin 
would  be  rectified.  Meanwhile,  attention  was  directed 
to  the  three  other  guns,  which  behaved  with  similar  dis- 
regard for  whatever  new  irritability  of  temperament 
might  be  lying  beneath  the  dignified  and  taciturn  ex- 
terior of  the  commander.  The  younger  officers,  ever  on 
the  alert  to  learn  from  observation  just  what  the  tem- 
perament and  demeanor  of  an  experienced  naval  officer 
ought  to  be,  had  obviously  made  up  their  minds  that  it 
was  better  to  betray  no  temper  whatsoever,  taking 


example  from  the  stern  though  wavering  reticence  of 
their  commanding  officer. 

But  now  it  was  quite  apparent  that  he  had  a  temper 
after  all,  and  that  it  was  rapidly  beginning  to  explode 
could  be  easily  detected  by  the  snap  in  his  steel-blue 
eyes  and  a  nervous  twitching  of  his  mouth  as,  one  after 
another,  guns  Two,  Three  and  Four  refused  to  bark  in 
obedience  to  the  quick  snaps  of  their  firing-pins. 

" Number  One  is  ready  now,  sir!" 

"Very  well— Fire  Number  One!" 

Before  the  gun  captain  could  place  his  finger  upon  the 
trigger,  Captain  Porterfield  noticed  that  the  officer  in 
charge  of  the  crew  of  Number  One  was  backing  ner- 
vously away  from  the  gun  with  his  fingers  in  his  ears, 
and  shouted  madly: 

"Somebody  stop  that  man  or  he'll  back  overboard! 
Fire,  will  you?" 


TARGET  PRACTICE 


AFTER  A  STORM 


INTENSIVE     TRAINING 


"The  target's  drifted  away,  sir." 

By  this  time  the  patience  of  the  captain  had  become 
quite  exhausted,  and  he  shouted  with  rising  anger: 

"Well,  shoot  at  something.  See  if  you  can  hit  the 
moon!" 

Number  One  belched  forth  a  mighty  roar  with  as 
much  aggressiveness  as  though  it  had  not  so  recently 
disgraced  itself,  and  shortly  thereafter  the  others  be- 
haved as  all  self-respecting  guns  should,  whether  at 
times  of  practice  or  in  action.  Then  the  automatic 
guns  were  tested  with  satisfactory  results,  as  the  cap- 
tain gave  orders  for  the  drifting  target  to  be  left  to  work 
out  its  own  salvation,  and  the  Venetia  again  started  on 
her  course,  while  her  saturnine  commander  turned 
silently  toward  the  chart-room.  As  he  moved  away,  one 
of  the  younger  officers  whispered  to  his  roommate  at  his 
elbow: 

"If  we'd  been  at  war  with  Mexico,  and  that  tub  fly- 
ing the  Mexican  flag  we  passed  just  now  had  been  a 
gunboat,  it's  a  cinch  that  she'd  have  had  us  under 
orders  to  abandon  ship  long  ago." 

The  details  of  the  above  incident  were  furnished  by 
one  of  the  officers,  who  is  prepared  to  vouch  for  their 
entire  accuracy.  But  Ensign  Volney  E.  Howard,  who 
was  officer  of  the  deck  during  that  afternoon  watch,  no 
doubt  inspired  by  motives  of  pride  and  patriotism, 
makes  a  strangely  contradictory  entry  in  the  ship's  log 
as  follows: 

Meridian  to  4:00  P.M. 

Steering  S  y8E.  At  3:00  abandon  ship  drill— boats  not  lowered. 
—3:09  started  firing  3-inch  guns,  one  round  of  ammunition  for  each 
gun.— 3:10  No.  i  gun  misfired,  cause,  defective  primer.— 3:13  No.  2 
gun  fired  at  6,000  yards.— 3:15  No.  3  gun  fired  at  6,000  yards.— 3:16 
No.  4  gun  fired  at  6,000  yards.  After  30  minutes,  No.  i  gun  was  un- 

[33] 


loaded.— At  3 '-3°  reloaded  and  fired  at  range  of  7,500  yards.— At  3:31 
fired  15  rounds  from  port  auto.  At  3:33  fired  starboard  auto. 

VOLNEY  E.  HOWARD,  Ensign,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 

Orders  were  at  once  given  that  the  four  gun  crews  in 
connection  with  the  machinist's  force  must  make  sure 
that  no  misfires  should  occur  in  the  future.  Then  the 
Venetia  proceeded  under  full  speed  on  a  southerly  course 
without  incident  other  than  constant  drills  in  all  de- 
partments, until  the  evening  of  the  first  of  November, 
when  a  strong  wind  set  in  from  E.  N.  E.  and  all  batteries 
and  boats  were  made  secure  for  heavy  weather. 

The  Venetia  was  now  beginning  to  labor  somewhat 
heavily  in  the  generally  tempestuous  waters  of  the  Gulf 
of  Tehuan tepee.  It  had  been  duly  reported  to  those  who 
had  not  until  now  been  "down  to  the  sea  in  ships"  that 
these  swirling,  choppy  waters  had  long  been  the  acid 
test  of  immunity  from  seasickness  to  all  voyagers  along 
the  Pacific  Coast,  and  it  was  soon  developed  that  a  mere 
handful,  outside  of  the  "old  salts"  of  the  Venetia  s 
personnel,  were  in  any  sense  equal  to  this  grueling  and 
humiliating  test  of  their  seaworthiness.  Happily,  how- 
ever, the  mantle  of  night  soon  cast  a  kindly  and  con- 
siderate pall  over  the  still  forms  of  the  stricken  missing 
ones,  and  as  no  lights  were  shown  aboard,  the  sufferers 
struggled  bravely  to  be  unafraid  in  the  oft-disturbed 
silence  of  their  darkened  quarters.  Then  when  morning 
came  and  all  was  calm  again,  the  derelicts  of  the  night 
before  were  piped  merrily  to  stations  to  "dry  ship," 
nearly  all  of  them  declaring  with  undebatable  convic- 
tion that  they  had  far  rather  fight  through  an  encounter 
with  a  score  of  submarines  than  struggle  through  another 
gale  off  the  Gulf  of  Tehuantepec. 


[34] 


CHAPTER  VI 


J 


THE    WORLD  S    GREAT   WATERWAY 

ARRIVAL   AT   PANAMA— THROUGH   THE   CANAL— THE   AMERICAN    PLAN 
FULLY  JUSTIFIED— ARRIVAL  AT  COLON. 

UST  before  dawn  on  November  4th, 
Banco  Point  Light  was  made  out  four 
points  on  the  port  bow,  and  those  not 
hitherto  posted  were  informed  by  the 
wise  ones  that  Panama  would  be  reached 
on  the  following  morning.  At  10:15  a 
war-vessel  was  sighted  dead  ahead,  and  two  hours  later 
the  Venetia  overhauled  the  U.  S.  S.  Cheyenne  with  a  sub- 
marine in  tow,  and  two  other  submarines  following  in 
her  wake  under  their  own  power.  This  incident  was  most 
pleasurable  in  that  it  was  the  first  time  since  leaving  San 
Diego  that  the  Stars  and  Stripes  had  been  seen  floating 
from  the  main-truck  of  a  sister  vessel  of  war. 

The  day  was  spent  in  hastily  dispatching  the  usual 
routine  of  drills;  boats  and  ordnance  were  inspected  and 
everything  bright  polished  clean  as  a  golden  spoon,  so 
that  the  Venetia  should  appear  as  neat  and  trim  as  a  war- 
vessel  may,  and  make  the  best  possible  showing  on  en- 
tering the  canal  at  Panama.  At  5:50  on  the  following 
morning  Point  Bona  Light  flashed  out  the  interesting 
warning  that  the  Pacific  entrance  to  the  great  canal  lay 
not  very  far  beyond.  At  daylight  the  mine  pilot  came 

[35] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


aboard,  whose  duty  it  was  to  guide  the  ship  through  the 
narrow  channel  between  the  vast  fleet  of  submerged 
mines  planted  to  render  the  entrance  to  the  great  water- 
way impregnable  to  alien  ships. 

In  the  early  forenoon  the  perfunctory  duties  of  the 
customs  and  quarantine  officers  were  dispatched  and 
the  canal  pilot  came  aboard  and  assumed  full  charge  of 
the  ship  as  far  as  its  navigation  was  concerned.  But  be- 
fore entering  the  canal,  sickness  again  disturbed  the 
peace  and  contentment  of  the  ship's  friendly  company, 
and  she  waited  while  Doctor  Drake  removed  two  of 
their  number  to  the  naval  hospital  at  Ancon,  detached, 
as  everyone  believed,  for  good. 

These  were  Lieutenant  (J.  G.)  W.  G.  Donovan,  Jr., 
N.  N.  V.,  and  Chief  Pharmacist's  Mate  C.  W.  Buell, 
U.  S.  N.  While  the  latter  would  be  sadly  missed,  owing  to 
his  great  efficiency  in  the  exacting  duties  of  the  medical 
department,  there  was  regret  of  the  keenest  nature,  both 
in  wardroom  and  forecastle,  for  the  untimely  detach- 
ment of  Lieutenant  Donovan,  of  Aberdeen,  Washing- 
ton, an  efficient  young  officer,  a  pleasant  companion, 
and  full  of  ambition  to  do  honor  to  his  country's  flag 
during  the  exciting  scenes  already  foreshadowed  for  him 
and  his  shipmates  in  far-off  waters  beyond  the  beautiful 
calm  of  these  peaceful  tropic  seas. 

The  passage  through  the  Panama  Canal,  that  en- 
during monument  to  the  munificent  foresight  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  magic  skill  of  Major  General 
George  W.  Goethals  who  constructed  it,  was  effected 
with  a  machine-like  efficiency  and  speed  that  surprised 
even  these  rigidly  trained  men  of  the  regular  navy,  to 
whom  celerity  and  completeness  are  considerations  not 
to  be  slighted  in  any  detail. 

On  the  first  approach  from  the  somewhat  remote 

[36] 


THROUGH  CULEBRA  CUT 


THE  WORLD'S  GREAT  WATERWAY 


anchorage,  the  entrance  to  the  canal,  owing  to  the  low- 
lying  land  on  the  Pacific  side,  is  barely  visible.  But  grad- 
ually, as  threading  through  the  tortuous  mine  channel, 
the  massive  breakwaters  seem  to  rise  suddenly  out  of 
the  placid  bay  and  just  as  suddenly  you  are  slowly 
gliding  between  them.  The  entrance  was  reached  shortly 
before  noon,  when  the  first  canal  pilot  was  replaced  by 
the  quiet  and  somewhat  uncommunicative  guide  of  the 
Miraflores  Lock.  It  should  be  known  that  each  lock 
along  the  line  of  the  great  waterway  has  its  own  pilot, 
whose  interests  and  knowledge  apparently  are  confined 
to  his  especial  zone,  all  the  others  being  of  no  particular 
interest  to  him. 

As  the  first  lock  is  approached  through  the  broad 
channel  at  the  sea  level,  and  its  massive  proportions 
loom  up  ahead  with  the  frowning  severity  of  a  mighty 
fortress,  there  arises  a  mental  speculation  as  to  whether, 
after  all,  the  sea-level  canal  so  pathetically  insisted  upon 
by  Bunau-Varilla,  the  great  French  engineer,  might  not 
have  been  better,  in  that  a  clear  and  uninterrupted  pas- 
sage would  have  done  away  with  so  much  official  red 
tape,  which  always  leads  to  delay. 

But  this  passing  reflection  is  soon  dispelled  in  the 
quickly  instilled  knowledge  that  there  is  no  delay  of 
even  a  minute's  duration,  for  all  of  the  machinery  of 
this  great  American  leviathan  moves  with  the  regularity 
of  clockwork.  Immediately  upon  entering  the  approach 
to  the  lock,  the  giant  electric  "mules"  are  attached  to 
the  ship,  one  on  either  side,  and  as  quickly  she  is  moving 
slowly  forward  as  the  great  flood-gates  part  with  the 
same  silence  and  apparent  ease  that  a  child  would  swing 
open  the  unlocked  doors  of  its  nursery.  The  rapidity  of 
operation  in  climbing  the  two  flights  of  the  Miraflores 
Lock  surprised  all  who  up  to  then  had  not  been  "in  the 

[37] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


know."  The  first  flight  was  passed  in  eighteen  minutes, 
and  in  twenty-two  minutes  more  the  Venetia  had  cast 
off  the  Miraflores  "mules,"  waved  farewell  to  the  first 
pilot,  and  was  waiting  for  the  second,  who  was  standing 
by  to  pilot  her  into  the  single  lock  at  Pedro.  The  taking 
aboard  of  the  Pedro  pilot,  the  making  fast  and  casting 
off  of  the  mules,  and  the  getting  under  way  under  the 
ship's  own  power  were  effected  in  some  minutes  less  than 
half  an  hour,  and  soon  Gaillard  Cut  was  reached. 

While  the  interested  onlookers  were  marveling  at  the 
rapidity  of  tropical  growths,  which  in  comparatively  so 
brief  a  period  had  covered  the  deep  excavations  with 
brilliant  tangles  of  verdure,  Culebra  Cut  was  entered. 
This  huge  excavation — whose  slipping  sides  and  shifting 
foundations  were,  in  the  opinion  of  every  engineer  who 
had  been  employed  on  the  canal,  or  was  disappointed 
because  he  had  not,  the  oft-predicted  certain  impedi- 
ment to  the  success  of  the  canal — seemed  now  certainly 
rigid  and  immovable  as  Mount  Whitney.  Beyond  the 
puffing  and  snorting  of  two  or  three  mighty  dredgers 
that  seemed  to  be  widening  the  channel  rather  than 
drawing  debris  from  its  bottom,  there  were  no  visible 
signs  of  any  previous  disturbance,  and,  in  reply  to  a 
question  from  one  of  the  young  watch  officers  on  the 
bridge,  the  pilot  said: 

"All  that  stuff  had  to  get  down  to  bed-rock  sometime, 
and  they  say  it's  there  now  sure." 

After  an  hour  spent  in  admiring  contemplation  of  a 
gorgeous  tropical  panorama  along  this  stretch  of  the 
canal,  Gatun  Lake  is  entered  with  thrills  of  unexpected 
delight,  for  here  is  even  the  most  travel-sated  eye  glad- 
ened  at  the  sight  of  the  most  amazingly  beautiful  trop- 
ical scene  in  all  the  world!  Here  was  the  turgid  and 
rebellious  Chagres  River,  which  many  of  the  world's 

[38] 


IN  SAN  MIGUEL  LOCKS 


DOCKS  AT  COLON 


THE  WORLD'S  GREAT  WATERWAY 


greatest  engineers  had  deemed  impossible  of  controlling 
except  through  some  unrestricted  passage  to  the  sea, 
impounded  and  harnessed,  its  waste  waters  only  per- 
mitted to  escape  over  the  vast  stone  waterways  in 
foaming  cataracts,  while  the  rest  of  it  pours  calmly  and 
without  protest  into  the  locks  of  the  great  canal.  Full 
speed  is  permitted  in  Gatun  Lake,  and  the  two  and  a 
half  hours  allotted  for  the  passage  through  its  vast  and 
gloriously  beautiful  reaches,  its  views  of  flooded  gorges, 
and  its  scores  of  floating  islands  that  nod  with  the  swell 
of  passing  vessels,  is  barely  sufficient  so  to  fasten  it  upon 
the  memory  that  none  of  its  inspiring  details  can  be 
forgotten,  for  to  forget  one  of  them  must  truly  cloud 
the  glamours  of  recollection. 

Amidst  the  glories  of  a  twilightless  tropical  sunset 
Gatun  Locks  were  passed  and  the  Venetia  moored  at  her 
dock  in  the  broad  canal  basin,  nearly  all  of  her  company 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  regret,  for  that  the  less  than 
eight  hours  occupied  in  the  passage  of  the  great  canal 
had  not  been  long  enough. 


[39] 


CHAPTER  VII 


THROUGH   THE   CARIBBEAN 


DEPARTURE  FROM  THE  ISTHMUS— MORE  INTENSIVE  DRILLS— REGULAR 
SERVICE  AND  RESERVES  AGAIN— SHIPS  THAT  PASS  IN  THE  NIGHT— 
FROM  THE  CARIBBEAN  INTO  THE  ATLANTIC. 


HE  stay  at  Colon  was  of  but  two  watches 
of  four  hours  duration,  and,  much  to 
the  regret  of  would-be  sightseers  in  the 
ship's  company,  shore  leave  was  not 
granted,  for  it  was  known  that  the  ship 

would  cast  off  and  put  to  sea  as  soon  as 

mechanics  from  the  station  repair-ship  had  completed 
the  extensions  of  gun-platforms,  and  the  necessary 
stores  had  been  taken  aboard.  In  the  meantime  the 
commanding  officers  of  the  station  ships  exchanged 
official  and  friendly  visits  with  Captain  Porterfield,  and 
the  Venetias  officers  and  crew  had  their  first  oppor- 
tunity to  inspect  from  afar  a  submarine  base  of  any 
magnitude,  "mothered"  by  the  monitor  Tallahassee. 
Salutary  lessons  were  learned  by  the  uninitiated  as  to 
the  appearance  of  that  "danger-hound"  of  the  deep 
from  all  points  of  maneuver. 

At  four  o'clock  that  afternoon  the  mine  pilot  came 
aboard,  mooring  lines  were  cast  off,  and,  threading  her 
way  through  the  tortuous  channel  between  many  hun- 
dreds of  those  concealed  instruments  of  sure  destruc- 

[40] 


THROUGH    THE     CARIBBEAN 


tion,  the  Venetia  made  a  course  under  full  speed  to  the 
open  sea. 

The  Venetia  was  now  entering  waters  where  danger 
threatened,  if  it  did  not  actually  exist.  The  depredations 
of  German  submarines  along  the  North  Atlantic  coast 
had  already  been  officially  reported,  and  it  was  deemed 
more  than  likely  that  some  of  them  had  been  sent 
to  inflict  their  unwarned  death-blows  upon  the  heavy 
commerce  of  the  West  Indies.  Accordingly  all  arma- 
ments were  carefully  tested  and  proved  ready  for 
action ;  boat  crews  were  perfected  in  the  duties  of  aban- 
doning ship,  which  must  be  done  with  dispatch ;  all  lights 
out  at  night  became  now  a  matter  of  necessity  instead 
of  drill,  and  instruction  must  by  this  time  have  been 
developed  into  the  perfected  duties  of  actual  warfare. 

Captain  Porterfield  paced  the  deck  slowly,  from  dead 
aft  to  "  'way  for'ard,"  his  taciturn  face  bearing  an  ex- 
pression of  mingled  concern  and  speculation.  His  prac- 
tised eye  inspected  everything  with  critical  thorough- 
ness, and  as  far  as  anyone  knew — to  judge  from  his 
uncommunicative  demeanor — he  appeared  to  be  sat- 
isfied. His  chief  concern  was  as  to  the  entire  efficiency  of 
Executive  Officer  Krebs,  who  was  also  navigator.  He  had 
had  much  experience  in  the  merchant  service,  having 
sailed  through  the  seven  seas  for  many  years,  but  it  is 
seldom  that  the  ways  of  the  merchant  marine  are  as 
careful  as  those  of  the  navy.  Expert  navigator  though 
he  be,  his  calculations  were  not  sufficiently  exact  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  studiously  trained  Annapolis 
man.  Krebs  had  a  notion,  as  once  expressed  in  the 
hearing  of  the  captain: 

"As  long  as  you  can  see  ten  miles  in  any  direction, 
why  afflict  yourself  with  brain-fag  and  wear  out  your 
pencils  in  trying  to  get  closer?" 

[41] 


<<o  T^ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


..••.    .!.!•.       ^ 


The  captain,  however,  insisted  upon  having  the  exact 
position  figured  out  to  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  what 
it  should  be,  at  8  A.M.,  noon  and  8  P.M.,  since  both  his 
teaching  and  experience  had  taught  him  that  the  sun 
fixes  the  approximate  position  at  meridian,  while  the 
same  result  is  easily  possible  at  night  when  good  star 
sights  are  obtainable.  But  as  the  days  waned  and  there 
was  no  apparent  error  made,  either  in  the  navigation 
of  the  ship  or  the  carrying  out  of  her  ordinary  routine, 
the  tenseness  of  the  captain's  features  relaxed  into  an 
expression  of  calm  that  denoted  something  like  satis- 
faction and  contentment,  no  matter  what  contrary 
opinions  his  mind  may  have  held. 

In  the  waning  of  these  days,  too,  the  more  hurriedly 
prepared  officers  began  to  feel  themselves  in  every  way 
amply  capable  of  performing  the  duties  demanded  of 
them  and  grew  more  and  more  "cocky"  with  each 
change  of  watch.  Four  years  of  Annapolis  grind  seemed 
to  them  an  extravagant  waste  of  time  as  far  as  the 
handling  of  a  ship  at  sea  was  concerned.  As  for  the  navi- 
gators trained  in  the  merchant  marine,  they  felt  in- 
wardly sorry  for  the  fuss  and  feathers  and  splitting  of 
straws  evidently  drilled  into  the  regular  navy  officer  to 
make  him  altogether  too  technically  precise  and  tem- 
peramentally irritable. 

Be  all  this  as  it  may,  the  Venetia  danced  merrily 
through  the  blue  waters  of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  true  al- 
ways on  her  course,  and  every  graceful  rise  and  fall  at 
the  bidding  of  its  ever-heaving  swells  seemed  like  an 
approving  curtsey  to  the  efficiency  of  her  navigators. 
Poets  who  have  perhaps  had  only  a  passing  glance  at 
this  "sheet  of  sapphire  blue,"  or  else  traversed  it  during 
one  of  its  not  very  frequent  calms,  have  commented 
upon  "its  fragrant  atmospheres  of  sun-kissed,  torrid 


EACH  MORNING  S      SWABBING  DOWN 


THROUGH    THE    CARIBBEAN 


stillness."  But  it  is  angry  oftener  than  it  is  placid,  as 
many  of  the  Venetias  company  can  attest,  although  it 
is  reverently  held  in  gentle  memory  when  recalling  that 
fateful  first  night  across  the  Gulf  of  Tehuan tepee. 

Heavy  head  winds,  accompanied  by  seas  that  sent 
clouds  of  warm  spray  over  the  bows,  continued  for  two 
days  without  interruption.  These  at  times  disturbed 
the  regularity  of  drills,  which  only  the  "tactic-mad 
Skipper,"  as  one  of  the  young  officers  dubbed  him, 
deemed  necessary  in  the  somewhat  disheartening  cir- 
cumstances. But  it  was  disheartening  only  to  a  few,  for, 
now,  after  nearly  three  weeks  in  sea  service,  the  ship's 
company  felt  that  it  was  actually  becoming  weather- 
beaten,  and  could  even  eat  with  comfort  at  sea. 

There  were  exceptions,  however,  for,  one  morning, 
one  of  the  immune  officers  met  another  who  was  not, 
reclining  on  a  transom,  and  accosted  him.  Stirred  by 
that  cruel  sense  of  humor  which  seems  ever  a  part  of  the 
nature  of  the  mariner  to  whom  mat  de  mer  is  an  excitant 
to  ribald  laughter,  he  touched  the  reclining  youth  on  the 
shoulder  and  announced: 

"There's  a  heavy  swell  outside,  and  he  wants  me  to 
invite  you  to  dinner.  There's  corned  beef  and  cabbage, 
and  lemon  pie." 

The  retort  of  the  sick  man,  it  may  be  said,  is  not 
printable,  but  anyone  who  has  been  in  a  similar  con- 
dition must  have  a  very  clear  notion  of  what  it  was,  as 
the  disturber  placed  his  hands  over  his  ears  and  retreated 
under  the  volley  of  impolite  invective. 

Ships  that  pass  in  the  night  are  unfathomable  mys- 
teries in  modern  war  times,  for  they  glide  across  the 
almost  black  distance  like  gaunt  ghosts,  with  never  a 
light  to  determine  their  direction,  or  a  signal  to  disclose 
their  identity.  Several  of  these  were  sighted  during  the 

[43] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


first  two  nights  out  from  Colon,  and  in  each  case  every- 
thing was  made  ready  either  to  resist  an  attack  or  to 
make  one.  Under  these  conditions  neither  friend  nor  foe 
is  recognizable,  and  everyone  knew  that  the  deadly  sub- 
marine gives  neither  challenge  nor  warning. 

On  the  third  night  out  from  Colon  the  ship's  company 
received  its  first  thrill  of  excitement  having  any  actual 
connection  with  warfare  in  its  real  sense,  but  it  was 
quite  disappointing  in  its  brevity  and  resultant  peace. 
A  white  light  flashed  suddenly  on  the  horizon  and  the 
entire  watch  fastened  excited  attention  upon  it,  as 
orders  were  given  for  the  boat  crews  to  stand  by  and  the 
gunners  flew  to  their  posts.  Whether  the  light  came  from 
the  flashlight  of  a  friendly  or  an  enemy  cruiser,  or  from 
the  discharge  of  a  gun  aimed  at  the  Venetia^  no  one  knew 
of  course.  But  no  mistake  must  be  made  in  times  like 
these,  and  there  was  not  an  officer  or  enlisted  man 
aboard  who  did  not  hope  that  it  really  meant  trouble. 

The  flash  appeared  no  more,  however,  and  on  Venetia 
plunged  through  the  still  angry  seas  and  brisk  head 
winds,  buffeting  them  in  the  determined  hope  that  there 
would  be  better  luck  next  time,  and  meanwhile  boat 
crews  were  kept  ever  on  the  alert,  so  that  the  ship  might 
be  quickly  abandoned  if  some  stealthy  torpedo  should 
dash  into  her  during  the  night. 

On  the  following  morning  Navassa  Island  Light 
flashed  out  abeam,  but  was  interesting  mainly  because 
it  was  the  first  land  made  out  since  leaving  Colon.  The 
ship  was  now  at  least  within  radio  distance  of  most  of  the 
West  Indies,  and  shortly  after  daylight  the  passage  be- 
tween Cuba  and  Hayti  was  made.  During  the  afternoon 
and  first  night  watches,  Castle  Island,  Great  Inagua 
Island,  and  San  Salvador  were  sighted  and  passed ;  the 
landing  of  Columbus  was  mentally  re-enacted,  and,  still 

[44] 


THROUGH    THE    CARIBBEAN 


pushing  into  strong  heading  seas  and  winds,  the  Venetia 
nodded  bravely  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  for  the  first  time 
as  a  fighting  unit  of  the  American  Navy. 

When  passed  for  the  first  time,  speculations  as  to  the 
historical  standing  of  these  islands  are  as  inevitable  as 
the  usual  ceremonies  attendant  upon  the  first  crossing 
of  the  Equator,  and  this  was  not  neglected  among  the 
tenderfeet  of  the  Venetia.  Which  of  the  Bahamas  was 
the  first  land  discovered  by  Columbus  ?  Was  it  San  Sal- 
vador, and  if  so,  should  it  be  called  by  that  name  or 
Watling's  Island?  Could  these  islands  be  justly  called 
America,  and  why  was  the  Western  Hemisphere  named 
after  Amerigo  Vespucci  if  Columbus  discovered  it  ?  All 
of  these  points  were  duly  discussed,  the  final  impressions 
being  largely  to  the  credit  of  the  immortal  Christopher, 
as  a  matter  of  course. 


[45] 


CHAPTER  VIII 


* 


T 


TOWARD   THE    WINTER-TIME 

HEADED  NORTH'ARD— THE  GUNS  STILL  REBELLIOUS— A  PLACID  "OFF 
HATTERAS"— LEAGUE  ISLAND  NAVY  YARD— A  BOY  WHO  FORGOT. 

HE  first  day  along  the  Florida  coast  was 
a  decided  change  for  the  better.  The 
smooth  sea  and  soft  northerly  breeze 
forced  that  pestiferous  joker,  the  im- 
mune from  seasickness,  entirely  out  of 
business.  Speed  was  reduced  to  con- 
siderably below  half  normal,  when  it  became  known 
that  the  captain  had  decided  to  satisfy  himself  again  as 
to  the  efficiency  of  his  armament,  and  establish  what  a 
good  many  hours  of  work  by  the  chief  gunner's  mate 
and  his  striker  had  accomplished.  The  tenseness  of 
Captain  Porterfield's  earnest  face  had  come  back  to  it, 
and  it  was  not  difficult  to  see  that  he  would  not  again 
countenance  any  undue  ribaldry  on  the  part  of  his 
trivially  inclined  watch  officers  in  case  the  guns  should 
fail  again.  This  was  precisely  what  they  did,  one  after 
the  other,  and  the  captain's  lips  framed  themselves  into 
angry  mutterings,  the  purport  of  which  must  of  course 
be  left  to  the  imagination.  One  gun  misfired  on  account 
of  a  defective  firing-pin,  in  another  the  cartridge 
jammed,  while  the  breech  of  the  other  one  failed  to 
close,  and  further  examinations  as  to  the  causes  were 

[46] 


TOWARD    THE    WINTER-TIME 


ordered,  firing  attempts  to  be  resumed  on  the  following 
morning. 

These  renewed  efforts,  too,  were  unsatisfactory  in  the 
extreme.  Rebellious  No.  I  gun's  firing-pin  brought  no 
discharge,  while  the  other  three,  although  barking  with 
warlike  ferocity,  developed  minor  defects  which  had  to 
be  adjusted.  Captain  Porterfield  spoke  quite  disrespect- 
fully of  government  officials  who  would  provide  a  vessel 
of  the  Venetias  importance  with  second-hand  arma- 
ment, and  those  who  were  nearest  to  him  declared  that 
his  dark  face  paled  as  he  applied  sundry  somewhat 
insulting  remarks  to  his  entire  armament  collectively, 
and  strode  forward. 

Then  from  the  crow's-nest  in  the  foretop  came  the 
cry  of  the  lookout  in  a  shrill  tenor: 

"Lightship  ahead,  one  point  on  the  port  bow,  sir!" 

And  with  the  answering  "Lightship  ahead!"  from  the 
pilot-house  the  immunes  hitherto  referred  to  were  again 
doomed  to  disappointment.  During  the  heavy  weather 
in  the  Caribbean,  they  had  cheered  the  afflicted  with 
further  discouraging  remarks  to  this  effect: 

"Call  this  dirty  weather?  Wait  till  we  get  off  Hat- 
teras  day  after  to-morrow.  If  you're  sick  now,  you'll  pass 
right  out  then,  because  it  ain't  quiet  in  them  waters 
once  a  month." 

But  there  was  Diamond  Shoals  lightship  half  a  mile 
abeam,  barely  nodding  in  the  sunshine,  with  not  even  a 
breath  of  wind  to  bring  a  flutter  to  her  pennant,  or  cause 
a  ripple  on  the  surface  of  a  sea  that  this  time  was  liter- 
ally as  smooth  as  glass. 

That  night  the  Venetia  was  called  on  the  radio  for  the 
first  time  at  sea,  and  everyone's  ears  tingled  with  ex- 
pectancy as  a  radio  electrician  carried  the  message-slip 
up  to  the  captain.  But  when  it  was  handed  to  the  com- 

[47] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


munication  officer  whose  duty  it  was  to  decipher  it,  it 
proved  to  be  only  a  message  changing  orders  and 
directing  the  Venetia  to  proceed  to  League  Island  Navy 
Yard  instead  of  to  Norfolk. 

This  change  of  destination  was  agreeable  enough  in 
its  way,  since  Philadelphia  is  a  much  more  attractive 
port  to  ask  for  leave  in  than  Norfolk  ever  will  be.  But  at 
the  same  time  there  was  disappointment  openly  ex- 
pressed because  the  radioed  orders  had  not  directed 
Captain  Porterfield  to  hurry  at  once  across  the  ocean. 
He,  however,  appeared  to  be  very  well  satisfied,  for, 
much  as  he  loved  the  Venetia  and  believed  her  destined 
for  a  good  record  "somewhere  over  yonder,"  he  wel- 
comed a  brief  stay  in  an  important  navy  yard,  where  his 
more  or  less  undependable  armament  might  be  divested 
of  all  semblance  of  doubt  as  to  whether  or  no  it  would  be 
ready  in  an  emergency.  Then,  too,  his  wife  and  children 
could  come  to  him  from  their  Annapolis  home. 

At  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  I4th  day  of 
November,  the  Delaware  River  pilot  came  aboard,  the 
Venetia  made  various  courses  up  Delaware  Bay  and 
River,  and  at  nine  o'clock  that  night  anchored  opposite 
League  Island  Navy  Yard,  seven  days  from  Colon  and 
twenty-one  from  San  Francisco.  At  8:17  the  next 
morning  she  was  fast  to  her  moorings  at  a  navy  yard 
dock;  Captain  Porterfield,  in  the  fullest  regalia  per- 
mitted by  the  existing  rules  of  war,  visited  the  navy 
yard  commandant;  a  considerable  leave  party  went 
ashore,  and  a  navy  yard  force  came  aboard  to  caulk  the 
decks  and  make  such  other  repairs  as  might  be  necessary, 
naturally  not  forgetting  3-inch  guns  numbered  I,  2, 
and  3. 

The  first  few  days  at  League  Island  were  all  bustle  and 
excitement.  There  was  every  indication,  to  judge  from 

[48] 


TOWARD    THE    WINTER-TIME 


the  elaborate  preparations,  that  the  Department  of  Con- 
struction and  Repair  was  pleased  with  the  Venetia  and 
had  determined  to  outfit  her  for  the  most  strenuous  and 
aggressive  war  service  that  would  reasonably  be  ex- 
pected of  a  vessel  of  her  class.  Her  decks  above  and 
below  swarmed  with  workmen,  and  experienced  eyes 
saw  to  it  that  even  the  slightest  defect  should  not  be 
overlooked;  days  were  spent  upon  the  guns  and  their 
platforms  until  pronounced  "sure  to  work  next  time"; 
the  launching  gears  for  the  deadly  depth  charges  were 
erected  at  the  stern,  and  the  magazines  filled  with 
ammunition.  In  the  meantime  Executive  Officer  Krebs's 
office  was  almost  constantly  besieged  by  officers  and 
men  asking  for  liberty  ashore.  This  was  gladly  granted, 
for  nothing  so  whets  the  morale  of  a  ship's  crew  as  the 
opportunity  for  relaxation  on  dry  land,  and  there 
seemed  small  likelihood  indeed  ahead  for  further  liberty 
for  some  time,  once  Philadelphia  was  left  behind. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  now  and  then  men  were  "or- 
dered to  the  mast"  and  slight  punishments  meted  out 
for  overstaying  leave  or  for  that  stimulated  condition 
which  is  sometimes  possible  even  in  defiance  of  the 
stringent  department  laws  designed  to  prevent  it.  The 
usual  penalty  exacted  in  such  cases  is  the  cutting  off  of 
pay  for  so  many  days,  the  punishment  being  made  to 
fit  the  crime  as  far  as  possible,  and  it  can  be  said  that 
there  is  seldom  found  a  recalcitrant  mariner  who  would 
not  select  a  brief  sentence  to  the  restful  precincts  of  the 
"brig"  rather  than  a  cutting  off  oNiberty  and  an  official 
touch  on  his  pocket.  Captain  Porterfield  agreed  with  the 
executive  officer  that  the  more  liberty  the  better  was  a 
good  rule  for  keeping  a  crew  good-natured;  for,  without 
good-nature  encouraged  into  it  by  official  lenity,  it  will 
sulk  and  perform  the  work  assigned  to  it  begrudgingly, 

[49] 


\ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


and,  of  course,  ineffectively.  As  a  matter  of  pleasant 
rumor,  it  was  told  that  on  one  occasion,  when  the  cap- 
tain saw  a  jacky  roll  over  the  side  and  speak  familiarly 
to  the  officer  of  the  deck,  he  smiled  visibly  and  remarked : 
"I  wouldn't  mind  having  that  myself." 
There  were  sixteen  days  of  constant  activity  aboard, 
before  the  taking  on  of  fuel  oil  gave  the  welcome  warning 
that  the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  the  Venetia 
would  prepare  to  put  to  sea.  But  on  that  welcome  six- 
teenth day,  the  2nd  of  December,  this  welcome  operation 
began,  and  the  next  morning  the  captain  came  aboard 
from  the  office  of  the  yard  commandant  with  what  were 
evidently  sealed  orders  under  his  arm.  Next,  the  Dela- 
ware pilot  came  aboard,  moorings  were  cast  off  from  the 
dock,  and  a  course  was  made  down  what  is  no  doubt  the 
busiest  river  in  all  the  world,  excepting  only  the  Thames 
(with  even  that  in  dispute,  when  American  brag  is 
pitted  against  British  bluster). 

At  Delaware  breakwater  there  were  many  expressions 
of  keen  disappointment  when  a  course  was  made  to  the 
north'ard  instead  of  east'ard  across  the  Atlantic.  There 
was  of  course  some  consolation  in  the  reflection  that 
most  of  the  ship's  company  were  Californians,  had  never 
been  to  New  York,  and  were  now  to  be  afforded  their 
first  opportunity  of  visiting  the  Great  White  Way.  But 
by  this  time  all  hands  had  been  drilled  into  the  more 
commendable  notion  that  they  were  far  from  being  on  a 
comfortable  yachting  cruise,  and  moreover,  what  they 
had  learned  of  the  rudiments  of  war  had  created  in  their 
minds  an  impatient  sort  of  longing  to  apply  them  to 
more  intensive  actualities.  Naturally,  there  were  many 
speculations  as  to  the  purpose  of  proceeding  to  New 
York  instead  of  across  the  Atlantic  to  scenes  of  real 
action,  and  these  were  varied,  and  often  small  fancies 

[5°] 


UNIFORM  ON  THE  DELAWARE 


LEAGUE  ISLAND  NAVY  YARD 


TOWARD    THE    WINTER-TIME 


lured  out  of  dreamland.  It  was  not  likely,  the  wiser  ones 
thought,  that, the  Venetia  would  be  called  upon  to  serve 
in  the  harbor  defense  of  the  great  metropolis,  because, 
no  doubt,  that  had  already  been  definitely  arranged  for. 
It  was  thought  by  some  that  perhaps  she  would  be  as- 
signed to  scout  duty  along  the  coast,  which,  while  being 
interesting  enough  from  a  junketing  point  of  view,  was 
not  exactly  the  kind  of  service  that  so  many  exemplars 
of  youthful  valor  had  enlisted  for.  But  it  was  all  specu- 
lation, for  even  those  of  the  crew  who  were,  through 
former  civil  associations,  on  speaking  terms  with  some  of 
the  officers,  could  secure  no  further  information  than 
that  the  orders  were  to  proceed  to  the  Brooklyn  Navy 
Yard. 

Here,  too,  everything  was  guesswork  with  reference 
to  what  future  destinations  or  duties  had  been  outlined 
during  the  nine  days  the  Venetia  remained  there,  and  it 
was  thought  by  the  many  who  had  chosen  to  regaid  her 
as  being  altogether  an  unusually  important  and  meri- 
torious craft  that  she  was  subjected  to  treatment  not 
at  all  in  keeping  with  her  high  caste  and  former  brilliant 
career. 

The  yard  was  congested  to  a  dangerous  degree  with 
war-vessels  of  all  kinds,  from  the  mighty  dreadnought 
to  the  saucy  little  submarine  chaser,  and  these  were 
coming  and  going  constantly.  There  was  only  a  small 
percentage  of  sufficient  dock  space,  it  was  true,  but  the 
Venetia  s  many  lovers  were  unable  to  assign  any  satis- 
factory reason  why,  when  once  moored  to  a  dock,  she 
could  not  be  permitted  to  lie  there  in  comfort,  instead  of 
being  shunted  from  one  to  another  to  make  room  for 
craft  that,  at  least  to  them,  were  not  half  so  important. 

Such  improvements  as  were  necessary  to  secure  abso- 
lute efficiency  and  put  the  Venetia  into  the  very  best  of 

[51] 


\ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


fighting  trim  were  made  by  the  navy  yard  mechanics, 
and  the  liberty  parties  that  went  ashore  to  view  the 
sights  of  the  Great  White  Way  were  numerous  and  in 
constant  motion.  Strange  to  say,  the  Venetias  boys 
were  very  good  boys,  and  it  was  not  often  that  "A.  O. 
L."  (absent  over  leave)  was  registered  against  them. 
But  there  was  one  of  the  mess  attendants,  a  not  over- 
alert  Filipino  boy,  who  was  never  granted  leave  but  he 
overstayed  it.  All  he  would  ever  say,  when  asked  to 
state  an  excuse  for  it,  was: 

"I  don't  know,  sir — got  a  bad  memory,  sir — I  for- 
get." And  later  on,  in  Gibraltar,  he  was  granted  liberty 
ashore  and  forgot  to  come  back. 


CHAPTER  IX 


A    MENIAL   ASSIGNMENT 


DELAY  AT  PHILADELPHIA— CAPTAIN  LA  ROCHE—    VENETIA 
TOWBOAT!— TO   NEW  YORK  AND   BACK. 


IS  MADE  A 


NE  day  much  comment  and  speculation 
was  interchanged  among  those  whom 
indifferent  rank  compelled  to  venture 
guesses  as  to  the  significance  of  new 
incidents  aboard,  by  the  arrival  of  a 
distinctly  foreign  officer.  This  was  Com- 
mander La  Roche  of  the  French  Navy — "plastered  all 
over  with  brass,"  as  a  disrespectful  seaman  expressed 
it — who  came  aboard,  bag  and  baggage;  and,  with  the 
hospitable  instincts  of  the  true  Southern  gentleman, 
Captain  Porterfield  surrendered  part  of  his  quarters  to 
him.  It  was  believed  that  this  new  addition  to  the  ship's 
company  must  be  indeed  an  important  one,  or  else  he 
would  not  have  been  received  with  so  much  polite  cere- 
mony by  Captain  Porterfield,  and  regarded  by  the 
younger  officers  with  admiring  respect. 

There  could  be  no  doubt — as  the  more  inquisitive 
minds  argued  the  innovation — that  he  must  be  a  naval 
officer  of  much  importance,  and  with  a  record  perhaps 
only  second  to  a  George  Dewey.  Doubtless  he  had  been 
sent  aboard  to  give  final  instructions  as  to  the  most 
recently  developed  methods  of  biting  the  biters  in  the 

[53] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


destruction  of  enemy  submarines,  or  how  to  point  the 
anti-aircraft  gun  so  that  a  shot  at  an  airplane  must 
result  in  a  clean  hit  every  time.  Some  exceedingly  bad 
French  on  the  part  of  one  of  the  junior  officers,  who  had 
a  notion  that  he  knew  something  about  it,  placed  him  at 
once  at  ease,  but  the  volleys  of  replies,  so  rapidly  de- 
livered, quite  confused  the  self-appointed  interpreter 
into  blushing  silence.  Then  Commander  La  Roche  con- 
tinued the  conversation  in  English  that  was  not  half  so 
execrable  as  the  American's  French,  and  eventually 
there  was  at  least  a  partially  successful  quest  for  infor- 
mation in  progress. 

Finally,  like  a  hand  grenade  suddenly  thrown  into  a 
crowded  life-boat,  came  a  most  disheartening  announce- 
ment, the  awful  significance  of  which  even  a  confusing 
cloud  of  accent  could  not  conceal: 

"Mais,  oui.  I  am  een  command  of  one  flitt  of  sub- 
marine chasair,  and  I  delight  for  say  zat  zees  beautiful 
corvette  de  guerre  has  been  appoint  for  asseest  in  make 
one  tow  for  Gibraltare." 

The  depressing  secret  was  out  at  last!  The  words 
traveled  about  the  ship  with  the  unerring  certainty  of  a 
radiogram.  Instead  of  being  ordered  at  once  to  inspiring 
zones  of  naval  glory,  Venetia  was  to  be  made  a  towboat! 
She  would  become  one  of  those  scarcely  moving  instru- 
ments of  indolent  activity  and  servile  patience — a  tug! 
And  worst  of  all,  it  had  been  designed  by  an  inconsider- 
ate department  that  she  was  to  act  in  this  menial  ca- 
pacity for  American  submarine  chasers  manned,  not  by 
American  mariners,  but  by  foreigners  who  had  but  small 
knowledge  of  how  to  handle  them  and  knew  not  a  single 
word  of  English. 

The  French  crews  had  been  for  days  and  days  prac- 
tising on  these  trim  little  no-footers  with  more  or  less 

[54] 


A     MENIAL     ASSIGNMENT 


ludicrous  results.  The  steering  was  uncertain  and,  two 
or  three  times,  they  had  come  into  collision  with  docks, 
buoys  and  vessels  large  enough,  one  of  the  wags  said, 
for  a  blind  man  to  miss.  Then,  when  some  of  them  stood 
out  into  East  River  from  the  navy  yard  basin  and  down 
the  bay,  as  the  Venetia  cast  off  her  moorings  to  the  dock 
and  followed  in  their  wake  to  the  anchorage  at  Tomp- 
kinsville,  the  very  throb  of  her  engines  seemed  to  main- 
tain a  doleful  harmony  with  the  ever-repeated  refrain: 

"The  thirteenth  of  December!  The  Venetia  a  tug! 
The  thirteenth  of  December!  The  Venetia  a  tug!" 

Ill  luck  followed  to  Tompkinsville  anchorage,  for  the 
Californians  were  given  a  reception  almost  unknown  on 
"The  Coast,"  in  the  shape  of  a  heavy  squall  and  thun- 
der-shower, followed  by  snow  and  sleet,  which  lasted 
throughout  the  night. 

The  squall  had  spent  itself  by  the  next  morning,  and 
the  Venetia  made  a  course  to  Philadelphia,  for  some 
reason  as  yet  unexplained ;  in  the  company  of  the  sub- 
marine chasers,  looking  for  all  the  world  like  a  painted 
Jezebel  of  the  web-footed  class,  trying  to  guide  into 
something  like  precision  a  family  of  uncertain  duck- 
lings. 

This  time  the  course  up  Delaware  Bay  was  an  ex- 
perience of  sore  discomfort  to  those  officers  and  enlisted 
men  who  hailed  from  the  balmy  Southland.  The  north- 
erly wind  was  biting  cold,  and  the  bay  was  full  of 
floating  ice,  the  volume  of  which  increased  on  the  way 
up  the  river,  and  a  tug  was  put  to  work  breaking  it 
away  so  that  the  Venetia  could  reach  her  dock  at  League 
Island  Navy  Yard. 

Contemplation  of  the  duty  ahead  of  them  was  not  of  a 
nature  calculated  to  inspire  any  renewed  naval  ardor  in 
the  youthful  souls  aboard,  and  in  addition  to  this  in- 

[55] 


\ 


\ 


reJ'ij 

1 

$1 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


fringement  upon  their  self-accorded  rights  as  duly 
enlisted  fighters  of  the  sea,  the  weather  was  surcharged 
with  freezing  bitterness.  This  distressing  temperature 
would  have  been  quite  sufficient  tojrapper,  more  or  less, 
the  ardor  of  so  many  youths  from  the  glorious  climate  of 
California;  but  it  had  become  noised  about  that  some- 
one who  ought  to  be  "in  the  know"  had  named  the 
squadron  of  which  the  Venetia  had  so  unwillingly  be- 
come a  part  "The  Suicide  Fleet,"  because  in  the  opinion 
of  many  old  man-o'-warsmen  it  never  could  possibly 
reach  its  destination.  This  was  not  calculated  to  bring 
renewed  courage  to  the  souls  of  the  tenderfeet,  but, 
silently  wrapping  themselves  closer  in  mufflers  and  hel- 
mets knitted  by  tender  hands,  and  recalling  the  defini- 
tion of  war  ascribed  by  history  to  General  Sherman, 
they  went  about  the  duties  assigned  them  smilingly  and 
without  a  white  feather  sprouting  from  the  heart  of  any 
of  them. 

Aside  from  routine  duties,  the  stay  of  five  days  at 
League  Island  was  devoid  of  incident,  except  for  the 
execution  of  acceptance  and  administering  of  the  oath 
of  office  as  provisional  ensign,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F.,  to  Boat- 
swain John  Alexander,  a  most  popular  promotion  with 
everyone  from  mess-room  to  forecastle,  for  all  felt  sure 
that  he  would  prove  as  capable  in  the  stripe  and  star  of 
an  ensign  as  he  had  been  in  the  less  "ratey"  crossed 
anchors  of  the  warrant  officer. 


[56] 


THROUGH  WINTRY  SEAS 


TO  ICY  BROOKLYN 


CHAPTER  X 

CHRISTMAS   AND    NEW   YEAR 

TOWING    SUBMARINE    CHASERS  — DULL   STAY   AT    BERMUDA  — DEMERIT 
WINNERS  — NEW    YEAR*S    EVE 

N  the  twenty-first  of  December,  after  a 
night  of  dense  fog,  the  fleet  of  converted 
yachts  and  government  tugs,  each  with 
a  submarine  chaser  in  tow,  left  League 
Island  and  proceeded  slowly  down  the 
river   to    Delaware   breakwater.    Here 
all  came  to  anchor  in  the  well  designed  harbor  of  refuge 
there,  as  darkness  almost  impenetrable  was  on  the  face 
of  the  waters,  with  indications  of  the  approach  of  heavy 
weather.  These  sturdy  little  chasers  of  the  i  lo-foot  class, 
entrusted  to  the  Venetias  keeping  for  safe  delivery  in 
foreign  waters,  had  been  built  for  use  in  our  own  navy. 
But,  catching  the  fancy  of  the  French,  who  sadly  needed 
boats  of  that  type,  these  five  were  placed  under  the 
French  flag,  crews  sent  from  France  to  man  them,  and 
on  account  of  their  small  cruising  radius,  vessels  were 
provided  to  tow  them,  while  on  the  way  to  more  con- 
genial activities. 

The  towing  squadron  consisted  of  the  Venetia^  the 
converted  yacht  Lydonia,  and  navy  tugs  Barnegaty 
Gypsum  Queen,  and  Montauk.  It  must  be  confessed  that 
the  two  craft  created  for  pleasure  did  not  seem  to  go 

[57] 


i 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


about  that  somewhat  humiliating  service  with  half  the 
aplomb  manifested  by  the  three  business  vessels  in- 
tended only  for  that  service  except  in  time  of  war. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-second,  the  indi- 
cations of  heavy  weather  having  disappeared,  the 
squadron  got  under  way  and  proceeded  to  sea,  with 
Bermuda  as  its  first  destination,  for  some  reason  not 
then  communicated  to  the  general  company.  Late  that 
afternoon  the  fact  became  apparent  that,  unless  pro- 
vided with  the  unusual  power  of  such  yachts  as  the 
Venetia^  intended  for  deep-sea  cruises,  this  class  of  vessel 
should  not  have  been  assigned  to  the  somewhat  perilous 
duty  of  towing.  The  Lydonia  promptly  began  to  fall 
behind,  the  Venetia  s  speed  was  ordered  reduced  to 
enable  her  to  act  as  consort  for  her  sister  yacht  in  case 
of  trouble,  and  this  came  on  the  following  morning, 
when  the  Lydonia  stopped,  reporting  serious  trouble 
with  her  boilers,  and  the  Venetia  became  the  dispatch 
boat,  fussing  about  from  one  tow  to  another,  to  spread 
the  somewhat  alarming  news.  After  discussion  between 
the  captains,  it  was  decided  that  the  Lydonia  should 
be  sent  in  tow  of  the  Montauk  to  Hampton  Roads  for 
repairs,  while  the  remainder  of  the  squadron  proceeded 
on  its  way.  Two  of  the  tugs  were  now  towing  two  chasers 
each,  with  the  Venetia  proudly,  if  not  altogether  jauntily, 
leading  the  formation. 

Christmas  morning  broke  bright  and  beautiful,  with  a 
gently  heaving  sea,  and  a  sky  luminous  with  painted 
clouds  of  gorgeous  beauty.  But  to  those  hearts  that  were 
heavy  away  from  their  homes  on  that  day — and  hearts 
without  that  heaviness  are  not  true  ones — there  was 
small  appreciation  of  any  Christmas  morning,  however 
beautiful,  on  the  bosom  of  the  ocean,  in  comparison  with 
what  might  have  been  away  over  there  by  lonesome 

[58] 


CHRISTMAS    AND    NEW    YEAR 


firesides  beyond  the  western  horizon.  Moreover,  it  is 
seriously  related  by  one  of  the  officers  that  a  fair-sized 
deputation  waited  upon  the  paymaster  to  voice  the  de- 
cision of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  crew,  to  the  effect 
that  Christmas  dinner  should  be  postponed  to  some 
future  date  while  in  port,  since  many  of  the  boys  had 
not  yet  succeeded  in  effecting  any  sort  of  analogy  be- 
tween gastronomy  and  navigation. 

Little  progress  was  made  on  this  day,  and  there  was 
plenty  of  time  for  musings  of  this  nature,  broken  by  the 
discovery  that  the  Earnegat  and  her  tow  were  nowhere 
in  sight,  and  the  ever-willing,  ever-speedy  Venetia  must 
set  out  in  search  of  her. 

The  tug  and  her  tow  were  found  after  careful  sleuthing 
on  many  courses.  It  developed  that  she  too  was  having 
boiler  trouble,  and  would  not  be  ready  to  proceed  on  her 
course  for  several  hours.  The  Venetia  hastened  to  convey 
this  somewhat  dispiriting  intelligence  to  her  squadron 
sisters,  and  barely  sufficient  speed  to  ensure  steering- 
way  was  ordered  until  the  Earnegat  should  have  com- 
pleted her  repairs,  which  completion  was  not  signaled 
until  late  in  the  afternoon.  It  should  not  be  in  the 
province  of  a  craft  so  dignified  and  ladylike  as  the 
Venetia  had  ever  been  to  descend  to  braggadocio.  It  is 
only  fair  to  say,  however,  that  mishaps  of  this  nature 
were  frequent  on  the  long  and  tortuous  way  across,  and 
that  she  never  had  more  than  one  or  two  of  any  kind 
during  her  entire  career  in  the  service,  nor  was  one 
dollar  expended  for  repairs,  beyond  those  unavoidable 
ones  that  are  inseparable  from  such  strenuous  and 
varied  experiences  as  fell  to  her  lot. 

After  the  many  tortuous  courses  on  all  points  of  the 
compass  in  search  of  the  lame  sister,  Earnegat^  and  her 
tow,  the  evening  seemed  vastly  more  like  Christmas. 

[59] 


I 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


Naturally  enough,  the  officers  in  the  wardroom,  under 
the  watchful  supervision  of  an  efficient  captain  of  the 
mess,  saw  to  it  that  they  had  as  good  a  Christmas  dinner 
as  the  somewhat  limited  larder  could  be  expected  to 
afford,  and  there  was,  of  course,  a  corresponding  in- 
crease in  the  mess  bill  for  December.  But  an  excellent 
dinner  was  provided  for  the  petty  officers  and  crew  as 
well,  and,  aside  from  the  unmistakable  presence  of 
homesickness,  reflected  in  the  eyes  of  some  of  the  boys 
who  were  absent  from  Yuletide  firesides  for  the  first 
time,  it  was  a  merry  one. 

There  were  some  interchanges  of  gifts,  chosen  from 
personal  belongings  instead  of  from  the  counters  of 
stores,  but  they  were  all  the  more  valuable  for  that.  The 
purchase  of  a  keepsake  for  a  friend  is  after  all  a  perfunc- 
tory sort  of  evidence  of  good-feeling  that  is  forgotten  as 
soon  as  the  gift  has  lost  its  usefulness.  But  one's  self- 
deprivation  of  some  possession  of  personal  value  to  give 
to  another  is  a  manifestation  of  sincere  friendship 
which  neither  the  recipient  nor  the  donor  ever  forgets. 
Then  too  there  were  many  exchanges  of  the  less-needed 
articles  for  those  that  were  needed  more,  and  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Christmas  spirit  in  the  transfer  gave  it  the 
value  of  a  veritable  gift. 

After  dinner  those  who  had  musical  instruments  or 
the  gift  of  song  made  use  of  them  to  the  great  edification 
of  those  to  whom  such  talents  had  been  denied,  and  it 
was  the  consensus  of  opinion  among  the  crew — to  judge 
from  such  noises  as  filtered  through  the  passages  from 
the  wardroom — that  there  was  a  much  merrier  Christ- 
mas party  between-decks,  and  some  of  it  was  excellent 
enough  to  dispel  the  few  cloudy  reminders  of  the  folks 
at  home. 

Just  before  sunset  on  December  27th,  Bermuda  was 

[60] 


SUBMARINE  CHASER  NO.   67 


OFF  WATCH 


CHRISTMAS    AND    NEW    YEAR 


ii 


sighted.  But  the  Barnegat  and  the  Gypsum  Queen  sig- 
naled that  their  tow-lines  had  parted  and  their  chasers 
gone  adrift  in  the  brisk  breezes  that  almost  invariably 
blow  across  England's  "Western  Watering  Paradise," 
so  this  necessitated  dropping  anchor  in  St.  George's 
Channel  until  the  following  morning.  Maneuvering  to 
retrieve  the  drifting  chasers  was  still  in  progress  at  sun- 
rise, but  before  noon  the  entire  squadron  was  safely 
at  anchor  in  Great  Sound,  and  the  several  commanding 
officers  were  exchanging  visits  with  those  of  U.  S.  S. 
Concord,  U.  S.  S.  Penobscot^  U.  S.  S.  Prometheus  (repair 
ship),  Choctaw  (fuel  ship),  U.  S.  S.  Nahant,  and  U.  S.  S. 
Nokomis.  All  of  these  seemed  to  be  waiting  there  either 
to  furnish  such  supplies  as  the  squadron  lacked  or  to 
regale  it  with  later  news  from  the  seat  of  war  than  had 
been  picked  up  by  its  none-too-long-reaching  radio 
apparatus  during  the  week  since  leaving  Delaware 
breakwater.  Little  more  was  heard,  however,  than  the 
Venetias  wireless  had  "picked  up,"  which  was  another 
feather  in  her  already  gaily  decorated  cap  of  official 
record. 

The  stay  in  this  perfectly  lying  and  delightfully  balmy 
harbor,  where  there  is  eternal  breezy  summer  with  sel- 
dom summer's  torrid  heat,  was  an  agreeable  change 
from  the  freezing  atmosphere  of  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia. Its  climate  was  likened,  with  widely  variant 
degrees  of  comparison,  to  that  of  every  district  in  the 
California  Southland,  all  the  way  from  San  Diego  to 
San  Luis  Obispo,  according  to  the  hailing  town  of  the 
speakers.  Then  too,  several  loyal  hearts  from  "north  of 
the  Tehachapi"  declared  in  turn  that  it  was  for  all  the 
world  like  that  of  Monterey,  San  Francisco,  Oakland,  or 
San  Rafael,  and  even  Benicia  and  Oroville  were  in- 
cluded. When  it  was  argued,  however,  that  during 

[61] 


&\ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


nearly  all  of  the  stay  in  Great  Sound  the  wind  had  been 
blowing  to  an  extent  that  would  make  San  Francisco 
Bay  at  its  worst  appear  like  a  region  eternally  of  balmy 
zephyrs,  the  consensus  of  opinion  was  largely  to  the 
credit  of  the  glorious  climate  of  California's  "great- 
est harbor  in  the  world." 

"Liberty"  parties  were  frequent  and  the  deportment 
of  the  boys  almost  above  reproach.  The  qualifying  word 
is  employed  for  the  reason  that  there  were  a  certain 
number  to  whom  deeds  calling  for  something  more  than 
reproach  were  second  natures.  This  class  was  more  or 
less  made  up  from  the  temperamental  demerit  winners 
in  college  courses,  who  had  not  yet  learned  that,  while 
mischief  is  an  indispensable  characteristic  of  the  frivo- 
lous in  a  college  town,  it  cannot  be  tolerated  by  the 
stringent  disciplinary  rules  of  the  navy. 

When  New  Year's  Eve  arrived,  however,  although 
the  skipper  had  given  no  intimation  that  these  rules 
would  be  in  any  way  relaxed  on  America's  freest  and 
breeziest  holiday,  there  seemed  to  be  a  disposition  on 
the  part  of  "the  man  who  was  looking"  to  glance  in  the 
other  direction  when  minor  infractions  of  routine  were 
committed.  At  all  events  many  lights  below  were  not 
extinguished  at  taps,  and  there  were  numerous  inter- 
changes of  the  compliments  of  the  season,  in  dimly 
lighted  groups,  when  the  birth  of  a  new  year  was  an- 
nounced at  eight  bells. 

Ashore,  however,  that  midnight  hour  was  distinctly 
un-American  and  marked  by  pure  British  stolidity  and 
unconcern.  There  were  no  such  outpourings  of  merri- 
ment and  good-feeling  as  many  of  the  boys  had  been 
accustomed  to  at  Techau's,  Tait's,  the  St.  Francis 
Hotel,  the  Palace,  or  any  of  the  hotels  at  Los  Angeles 
or  San  Diego.  If,  after  midnight,  a  man  chanced  to  meet 

[62] 


CHRISTMAS    AND    NEW    YEAR 


an  acquaintance,  there  was  a  more  or  less  emphatic 
"Happy  New  Year,  old  boy,"  and  that  was  about  all. 

It  was  true  that  on  the  following  day  there  were  some 
official  interchanges  of  courtesy,  but  they  were  not 
American  ones,  and  the  forecastle  jack  was  not  supposed 
to  form  a  part  of  them,  but  had  to  shift  for  himself  at 
his  own  expense.  An  invitation  had  come  from  the  Gov- 
ernor-General of  Bermuda  to  a  reception  at  the  official 
mansion,  and  Captain  Porterfield  detailed  Surgeon 
Drake  and  Ensign  Howard  to  be  his  personal  aides  for 
that  occasion.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  this  reception 
must  have  been  quite  formal  in  character,  for  the  only 
information  at  hand  to  assist  the  chronicler  is  to  the 
effect  that  "the  governor-general  is  a  splendid  specimen 
of  the  official  Britisher,  tall,  affable,  the  acme  of  military 
bearing,"  and  that  his  mansion  is  "spacious,  solidly  old- 
fashioned,  and  situated  in  the  center  of  a  wonderful  park 
and  glorious  gardens." 

It  is  pleasing  to  be  able  to  add  that  a  dinner  and 
"party"  in  the  evening  on  board  of  H.  M.  S.  Leviathan 
was  more  in  conformity  with  the  American  notions  for 
the  proper  celebration  of  New  Year's  night.  Moreover, 
be  it  said  too  that  it  was  not  at  all  observant  of  the 
rules  promulgated  by  the  Honorable  Josephus  Daniels 
touching  upon  the  nature  of  the  liquid  substances  that 
should  enter  into  the  menus  of  functions  of  that  sort. 
No  further  information  has  been  furnished  with  refer- 
ence to  this  Leviathan  party,  other  than  that  those  who 
were  present  had  a  good  time  and  the  British  are  "jolly 
good  fellows." 


[63] 


CHAPTER  XI 


CAPTAIN  LA  ROCHE  AND  THE  LILY  FARMER— A  CONFLICT  OF  AUTHORITY 
—  ALMOST  A  TRAGEDY. 

.T  keen  sense  of  humor  so  predomi- 
nant a  characteristic  in  American  youth 
is  ever  a  wholesome  irritant  to  the 
monotony  and  humdrum  of  life  aboard 
ship,  especially  to  those  not  thoroughly 
weaned  to  it  early  in  their  nautical 
careers.  There  were  several  of  these  ebullient  young 
scamps  aboard  of  the  Venetia,  ever  ready  for  the  humor- 
ous prod  or  jest  at  the  expense  of  someone  else.  One  of 
them,  in  the  absence  of  some  fact  to  edit  into  a  quip  of 
this  nature,  did  not  hesitate  to  draw  upon  his  imagina- 
tion for  a  flight  of  fiction  that  would  apply  to  some 
person  in  his  immediate  neighborhood,  and  a  case  in 
point  is  pleasantly  remembered: 

Commander  La  Roche  (known  as  "the  star  boarder 
of  the  officers'  mess")  was  one  day  leaning  over  the  rail 
waiting  to  be  taken  for  a  jaunt  ashore,  when  the  young 
fictionist  in  question  edged  up  to  him  in  the  company 
of  a  shipmate.  The  polite  little  Frenchman  smiled 
pleasantly  and  asked: 

"You  have  been  before  in  Bermuda?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  was  the  reply;  "I  have  a  ranch  there." 


CONTRAST  THIS   WITH 


WINTER  MEMORIES  — 


IX    PHILADELPHIA 


AMERICAN     HUMOR 


"How — how  moch  large — how  beeg  ze  ranch?" 

"Oh,  I  dunno,  four  or  five  thousand  acres  or  so,  I 
guess." 

"Ah!  Zat  ranch  is  one  beeg  estate.  Vere  shall  I  find  it 
ven  I  go  to  de  shore  ?" 

"Oh,  somewheres  on  the  island  of  Bermuda." 

"  But — "  and  the  French  excitability  began  to  assert 
itself — "Bermuda  ees  one  group  of  island!" 

There  was  a  laugh  at  the  expense  of  the  romancer, 
following  the  commander's  exhibition  of  superior  geo- 
graphical knowledge,  but  the  retort  was  ready  as  usual: 

"I  know  that,  but  you  see  the  ranch  is  so  big  that  it 
has  to  spread  over  three  or  four  of  them.  I'm  telling  the 
world,  commander,  that  that's  some  ranch!" 

"C'est  vraiment,  mon  ami!  And  w'at  you  make  for 
grow  on  ze  some  ranch  ?" 

"Nothing  but  Easter  lilies." 

"For  why  it  is  Eastair  lilee ?  Four  t'ousand  acaire  wiz 
noting  but  lilee?" 

"That's  all.  You  see  there  are  a  hundred  million 
people  in  the  United  States,  and  it's  against  the  law  for 
one  of  them  to  be  without  a  bunch  of  lilies  on  Easter 
Sunday." 

The  dark  eye  of  the  commander  began  to  snap  in- 
credulously, and  many  necks  craned  forward  to  note 
the  finish  of  this  amazing  bit  of  romancing.  Evidently, 
however,  the  imaginative  ranchman  had  prepared  one, 
for  he  went  on: 

"  I  did  pretty  well  before  the  war  when  transportation 
was  good,  but  this  year  I  don't  believe  I'll  be  able  to  get 
more  than  thirty  or  forty  million  bunches  over  to  save 
my  life." 

By  this  time  the  commander  had  become  wise  to  the 
deception,  so,  stiffening  to  the  full  height  of  his  not  very 

[65] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


imposing  figure,  he  said,  with  sorely  offended  dignity,  as 
he  walked  away: 

"I  do  not  know  weech  eet  ees  de  most  beeg  fool.  My- 
self for  listen,  or  you  for  make  de  lie!" 

The  laugh  was  now  distinctly  on  the  romancer,  and  it 
was  repeated  many  times,  as  the  power-dory  was  an- 
nounced at  the  gangway  and  the  commander  stepped 
into  it  to  be  taken  ashore.  The  strong  northerly  wind 
blowing  at  the  time  had  disturbed  the  waters  of  the 
harbor  into  choppy  seas  and  the  little  boat  heaved  and 
tossed  about  with  no  regard  whatever  for  the  theories  of 
safety  first.  The  little  commander  excitedly  called  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  there  were  "moch  too  many  people 
in  ze  boat,"  and,  no  doubt,  inspired  by  the  notion  that 
he  was  the  ranking  officer  aboard,  immediately  assumed 
command.  Then  rising  to  his  feet,  wobbling  very  pain- 
fully, he  shouted  with  true  Gallic  gesticulation: 

"Prenez  garde,  or  we  shall  capsize!  To  ze  right — to  ze 
right!" 

The  boatswain's  mate  in  charge  obeyed  the  command 
and  the  little  craft  heaved  and  labored  more  dangerously 
than  ever.  The  commander  made  a  characteristic  ges- 
ture in  rebuke  for  his  error  and  changed  the  order: 

"To  ze  left — to  ze  left!  Ahead  eet  ees  one  rock!  Sacre 
bleu!  to  ze  left!" 

Before  the  counter-tenor  tones  of  the  last  command 
had  died  away  the  dory  struck  and  capsized,  leaving  her 
passengers  and  crew  floundering  about  in  the  choppy 
waves.  Ensign  Nicolini  swam  to  the  rock,  "Pay" 
Schnetzler  followed,  between  them  the  boat  was  righted, 
and  the  shipwrecked  mariners  clung  to  it  until  they  were 
rescued  by  the  whale-boat  dispatched  from  the  Venetia. 
As  the  salvaged  ones  filed  up  the  gangway  and  away  to 
their  respective  quarters,  the  French  commander 

[66] 


AMERICAN     HUMOR 


brushed  past  the  lily  farmer  with  an  air  of  completely 
dissolved  dignity  and  said: 

"I  weesh  I  have  remain  to  learn  more  of  ze  Eastair 
lilee!" 

A  few  days  later  one  of  the  submarine  chasers  came 
alongside  and  Commander  La  Roche,  with  his  orderly, 
was  taken  aboard  for  transfer  to  the  converted  yacht 
Nokomis.  Not  only  had  it  been  decided  that  he  would  be 
more  comfortable  there  for  the  remainder  of  the  voyage 
across,  but  the  Venetia  expected  new  officers,  and  her 
staterooms  were  already  occupied  beyond  the  limits  of 
what  might  be  called  the  true  comforts  of  home. 

If  volubly  expressed  regrets,  punctuated  by  appro- 
priate gestures,  were  any  indication  of  the  true  inward- 
ness of  Commander  La  Roche's  sincerity,  then  he  was 
very  sorry  indeed  to  take  his  leave  so  abruptly.  As  he 
moved  toward  the  gangway  waving  an  adieu,  the  lily 
farmer  assisted  him  with  his  numerous  impedimenta, 
and  received  the  following  good-natured  prod: 

"Ah,  merci  beaucoup!  And  w'en  la  guerre  ees  feenesh, 
send  me  one  cargo  Eastair  lilee,  for  introduce  ze  habite 
to  France." 


[67] 


CHAPTER  XII 


IN   THE       ROARING    FORTIES 

TRANSFER   OF   OFFICERS— AGAIN    UNDER   WAY— BERMUDAN    SCENERY 
CONTRASTED    WITH    THAT    OF    CALIFORNIA. 

N  the  fourth  of  January  it  became  known 
that  on  the  sixth  the  towing  squadron, 
now  materially  increased  by  the  addi- 
tion of  ships  that  had  been  waiting  for 
it  at  Bermuda,  would  get  under  way  in 
battle  formation,  with  every  war  pre- 
caution observed  to  the  letter.  On  the  same  day  two 
important  changes  in  the  personnel  of  wardroom  officers 
were  announced.  The  executive  officer  and  navigator, 
W.  G.  Krebs,  was  detached  and  transferred  to  the 
Prometheus ',  under  orders  to  proceed  to  the  United 
States,  being  replaced  as  executive  officer  by  Lieutenant 
(J.  G.)  John  B.  Armstrong,  while  Ensign  Donald  Mac- 
Kenzie,  N.  N.  V.,  reported  on  board  as  navigator, 
having  been  transferred  from  U.  S.  S.  Prometheus,  and 
Lieutenant  Mark  A.  Mangan  was  detached  from  the 
transport  Buford  and  assigned  to  the  Venetia  as  watch 
officer. 

Captain  Porterfield  again  sighed  with  that  concern 
which  is  obviously  unavoidable  when  a  real  naval  man 
is  compelled  to  accept  for  so  important  a  station  as  navi- 
gator one  whose  sea  experience  has  been  limited  if  not 

[68] 


PLOWING  ANGRY  SEAS 


DEPTH  CHARGES  AND  GUNS   FROM  ALOFT 


FORTIES" 


altogether  negligible.  Ensign  MacKenzie,  he  thought, 
must  surely  be  mentally  equipped  for  all  the  technical 
requirements  of  navigation.  In  less  than  nine  years 
(1905-1914)  he  had  come  from  his  home  in  Weatherford, 
Texas,  entered  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  at  Balti- 
more, earned  the  degrees  of  A.  B.,  M.  A.,  Ph.D.,  and  had 
become  assistant  professor  of  astronomy,  at  the  same 
time  serving  in  the  Maryland  Naval  Militia.  On  Ameri- 
ca's entry  into  the  war,  his  battalion  was  mobilized  on 
the  battleship  Missouri,  from  which  he  was  assigned  to 
the  Prometheus  and  later  to  the  Venetia.  The  application 
of  his  superior  knowledge,  however,  was  disappointing, 
for  he  proved  to  be  temperamentally  unfitted  for  the 
practical  side  of  navigation,  as  afterwards  developed 
when  he  became  subjected  to  the  real  physical  rigors 
of  it. 

Lieutenant  Mangan  was  born  at  Shelby,  Ohio,  July 
n,  1884,  and  in  March,  1916,  foreseeing  that  Uncle 
Sam's  entry  into  the  war  was  almost  certain,  enlisted  in 
the  2nd  Ohio  Battalion,  N.  N.  V.,  soon  became  an 
ensign,  and,  in  April,  1917,  was  commissioned  lieutenant 
(J.  G.)  and  assigned  to  the  battleship  Vermont^  strangely 
enough  on  the  very  day  that  a  state  of  war  was  declared 
between  the  United  States  and  Germany.  In  September 
of  that  year,  he  was  detached  from  the  Vermont  and 
assigned  to  the  converted  yacht  Helenita  (formerly  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Frank  Gould),  which  was  then  fitting 
out  at  a  New  York  shipyard  for  duty  similar  to  that 
expected  of,  and  satisfactorily  fulfilled  by,  the  Venetia. 
She  was  in  our  gallant  ship's  company  in  the  famous 
"Suicide  Squadron,"  but  nearly  foundered  on  the  voy- 
age to  Bermuda;  was  declared  unfit  for  service  and 
ordered  home  to  be  placed  out  of  commission.  Lieuten- 
ant Mangan  was  temporarily  assigned  to  the  U.  S. 

[69] 


w 


im 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


transport  Buford  as  assistant  navigating  officer  and 
commander  of  the  armed  guard,  and  in  January,  1918, 
was  detached  and  detailed  to  the  Venetia  vice  Lieutenant 
Krebs,  ordered  home.  He  remained  with  that  vessel 
during  all  of  her  exciting  adventures  in  the  Mediterra- 
nean and  until  she  was  placed  out  of  commission.  He 
was  then,  on  his  personal  request,  ordered  home  and 
released  from  active  service. 

The  departure  of  Lieutenant  Krebs  occasioned  much 
sincere  regret  on  the  part  of  those  who  knew  him  best, 
for  he  was  a  man  of  many  attainments  that  made  him  a 
valuable  asset  in  relieving  the  monotonies  of  the  ward- 
room during  off-watch  hours.  Well  read  beyond  the 
ordinary  run  of  seafaring  men,  he  could  furnish  enter- 
tainment by  the  hour,  and,  be  it  understood,  mental 
relaxation  of  that  kind  is  always  a  welcome  dissipator 
of  those  boresome  hours  that  are  always  inseparable 
from  long  runs  at  sea. 

As  persistent  rumor  had  placed  German  submarines 
in  those  waters,  following  depredations  in  the  North 
Atlantic,  it  was  decided  that  the  towing  squadron  was 
now  operating  in  a  zone  of  positive  danger  and  extraor- 
dinary measures  were  taken  to  be  ready  for  immediate 
action  in  case  of  attack.  Ammunition  was  placed  within 
easy  reach  of  Numbers  i,  2,  3,  and  4,  Captain  Porter- 
field  having  finally  become  satisfied  that  they  would 
be  "sure  fire"  in  response  to  the  next  order  for  it. 
Added  "ash-cans,"  as  the  American  jacky  has  nick- 
named those  murderous  implements  of  destruction 
officially  known  as  depth  charges,  were  brought  aboard 
from  the  supply  ship,  and  exhaustive  "general  quarters" 
drills  were  in  progress  almost  continuously. 

It  was  not  until  the  morning  of  the  seventh  of  Jan- 
uary that  the  considerably  increased  squadron  weighed 

[7°] 


LIEUT.  MARK  A.  MANGAN 


FO  R  T  I  E  S' 


anchor  and  made  a  course  on  the  long  stretch  between 
Bermuda  and  the  Azores. 

The  stay  in  Bermuda  had  not  been  so  pleasant  as  had 
been  expected  by  all  hands,  in  view  of  its  far-famed  and 
extensively  advertised  reputation  for  cordial  hospitality, 
salubrity  of  climate,  and  the  poetical  beauty  of  its 
scenery.  The  Bermudans,  aside  from  the  official  set,  who 
were  not  Bermudans,  were  not  so  cordial  as  might  have 
been  expected  of  our  British  cousins,  especially  in  war 
time,  and  one  of  the  officers  has  said  that  his  experience 
in  respect  to  this  relationship  caused  him  to  feel  that  it 
ought  to  be  relatively  classed  as  cousinship  "just  about 
ten  times  removed." 

As  to  climatic  salubrity,  attention  has  already  been 
called  to  the  half-gale  blowing  all  of  the  time  the  squad- 
ron lay  there,  making  the  landing  of  shore  parties  ex- 
ceedingly dangerous  at  times.  As  to  scenic  splendors, 
Californians  on  board  variously  criticized  it  as  not  being 
at  all  in  it  with  those  of  Sausalito  or  Belvedere,  not  half 
so  gorgeous  as  Carmel  Bay,  and  San  Diego  had  it  backed 
off  the  map  altogether.  At  all  events,  this  same  officer 
states  that  the  prevailing  impression  of  Bermuda  on 
leaving  it  was  expressed  in  the  trite  but  appropriate 
phrase:  "No  more  Bermuda  in  mine." 

The  towing  squadron  left  Great  Sound  in  the  following 
divisions,  the  vessels  proceeding  in  the  order  named, 
each  with  one  submarine  chaser  in  tow,  while  one  of 
them  was  compelled  to  be  responsible  for  two: 

The  Venetia,  Nokomis,  and  Castine;  then  an  interval 
of  one  thousand  yards ;  the  Penubscot,  Nahant,  and  Con- 
cord; an  interval  of  five  hundred  yards,  with  the  Barne- 
gat  and  Gypsum  Queen  following.  Heavy  weather,  with 
rapidly  dropping  barometers  indicating  worse  ahead, 
was  encountered  immediately  on  leaving  Bermuda,  but 

[71] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


this  caused  no  interruption  in  the  preparations  for  action 
should  it  become  necessary.  Gun  crews  were  kept  at 
drills  at  regular  intervals;  boat's  crews  were  further 
perfected  in  the  important  duty  of  abandoning  ship 
without  confusion;  and  every  vessel  was  darkened 
throughout  the  night,  excepting  for  brief  intervals  of 
from  ten  to  fifteen  minutes  in  each  half-hour.  These 
intervals  were  necessary  in  order  that  the  divisions 
might  not  become  lost  in  the  darkness  and  driven  out  of 
sight  of  each  other. 

The  next  morning  dawned  in  a  gale  which  at  times 
was  so  fierce  as  to  indicate  a  wind  velocity  of  one  hun- 
dred miles  an  hour,  but  the  sturdy  Venetia  faced  it  gal- 
lantly and  rode  the  now  truly  mountainous  waves  as 
though  it  were  mere  child's  play  for  her.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  after  careful  inspection  of  the  other  vessels  through 
his  strong  binoculars,  Captain  Porterfield  expressed 
himself  as  being  now  more  than  ever  satisfied  with  the 
little  ship  for  whose  command  he  had  applied.  She  not 
only  had  proved  herself  a  more  than  capable  sea  boat, 
but  she  carried  her  heavy  tow-line  even  better  than 
some  of  the  vessels  built  for  that  service  and  with  more 
regular  speed. 

Here  a  brief  description  of  these  deep-sea  tow-lines 
might  not  be  out  of  place,  for  the  reason  that  they  bear 
but  slight  relation  to  those  employed  in  the  smooth 
waters  of  harbors.  The  great  cables  are  generally  one 
hundred  twenty  to  one  hundred  thirty  fathoms  in 
length,  of  eight-inch  hemp,  and  "bent"  onto  V-shaped 
bridles  which  are  fashioned  from  the  same  cable  and 
moored  both  to  the  towing  vessel  and  the  one  in  tow.  In 
the  center  of  the  tow-line  are  wound  from  thirty-five  to 
forty  fathoms  of  heavy  chain,  weighing  many  tons,  so 
that  the  cable  may  not  lash  about  in  a  seaway,  ham- 

[72] 


IN  THE  "ROARING  FORTIES" 


pering  the  progress  of  tower  and  towed,  or  else  causing 
the  line  itself  to  part.  Several  tow-lines  parted,  however, 
during  this  angry  storm  of  many  days'  duration,  some- 
times with  disastrous  results,  as  will  be  detailed  later  on. 
Truly  enough,  this  storm  was  "something  fierce,"  as 
many  a  nervous  mariner  expressed  himself  whenever 
the  Venetia  plunged  her  bows  deep  into  the  seething 
troughs  between  the  huge  waves,  then  rose  with  every 
beam  and  trunnion  creaking  beneath  the  weight  of  the 
seas  on  her  forecastle  deck,  that  spread  great  volumes 
of  blue  water  and  spray  from  stem  to  stern.  In  com- 
parison with  this  one,  the  gale  off  the  Gulf  of  Tehuan- 
tepec,  which  had  so  distressed  the  tenderfeet  to  the 
great  edification  of  the  old  salts,  was  as  the  likening  of  a 
wild  mountain  thunder-storm  to  the  placid  surface  of 
Spreckels  Lake  in  Golden  Gate  Park  on  a  warm  day  in 
May. 

Sometimes  one  of  these  giant  waves  would  break  over 
the  stern  and  dash  forward,  occasioning  greater  con- 
cern, for  that  was  not  the  proper  place  to  take  water 
aboard.  Then,  too,  it  was  seldom  that  one  of  them  broke 
over  the  stern  or  quarter  and  swept  forward  but  that 
it  left  some  kind  of  havoc  in  its  path,  to  say  nothing  of 
bringing  danger  to  the  bridle  of  the  tow-line.  One  of 
these  waves  wrenched  away  the  heavy  covering  of  the 
after  steering-engine  as  if  it  had  been  the  receptacle  of  a 
gift  of  roses  to  a  sweetheart,  and  swept  it  across  decks 
and  out  to  sea.  It  must  be  repaired  immediately  or  the 
steering-engine  would  be  put  out  of  business,  so  life-lines 
were  fastened  about  the  waists  of  the  carpenters,  lest 
they  be  washed  overboard  beyond  hope  of  rescue,  during 
the  heart-breaking  labor  of  constructing  a  temporary 
covering. 


[73] 


CHAPTER  XIII 


WAVES   MOUNTAIN    HIGH 

STAUNCHNESS  OF  THE  "vENETIA*'  —  HUMORS  OF  THE  GALE— TROUBLE 
WITH   THE   CHASERS. 

HE  ceaseless  anger  of  the  titanic  waves 
naturally  excited  no  little  anxiety  and 
alarm  among  the  many  young  lands- 
men aboard,  whose  only  experience  had 
been  gained  in  the  balmy  quiet  of  the 
training  station  at  San  Pedro,  for  they 
were  now  getting  their  first  experience  of  active  service 
on  the  treacherous  and  merciless  deep.  One  day  the 
skipper  remarked: 

"Well,  you've  seen  'em  all  now.  That's  about  as  high 
as  they  get." 

Everyone  on  board  was  delighted  to  receive  this  en- 
couraging information,  for  to  quote  from  a  conversation 
with  Ensign  Howard,  in  stating  his  first  hurricane 
experience:  "The  seas  were  tall  enough,"  he  said,  "to 
have  sprinkled  the  summit  of  Telegraph  Hill.  So  tremen- 
dous were  they  that  there  were  seas  within  seas — if  you 
can  picture  that — then  smaller  ones  on  top  of  these. 
There  were  no  whitecaps,  for  the  surface  of  the  ocean 
was  lashed  into  one  vast  sheet  of  white  foam,  which  the 
wind  would  blow  into  a  wet  mist  or  vapor  that  scurried 
over  the  surface  like  a  low  fog. 

[74] 


WAVES     MOUNTAIN    HIGH 


"During  the  entire  seventeen  days  from  Bermuda  to 
the  Azores  there  was  never  a  moment  when  we  didn't 
have  to  hold  onto  or  brace  ourselves  against  something 
or  other.  There  were  times  when  the  ship  rolled  so 
heavily  as  to  cause  many  of  us  to  wonder  whether  she 
would  ever  come  back,  for  the  ship  was  rolling  on  an 
average  of  from  forty  to  fifty  degrees,  at  which  angle  she 
always  dipped  up  a  whole  deckful  of  water.  Happily, 
however,  she  always  did  come  back,  for  the  water  would 
run  like  torrents  out  of  the  freeing  ports  and  across  the 
deck  aft  as  she  rolled  over  on  the  opposite  beam-end." 

The  Venetia  has  been  described  as  being  an  almost 
perfect  sea  boat  in  angry  weather,  with  a  long,  easy  roll 
that  has  no  "throw"  in  it,  and  so,  after  several  days  of 
experience,  nearly  every  one  of  her  gallant  company  felt 
reasonably  certain  that  she  would  justify  her  reputation 
and  reach  her  next  port  unscathed. 

As  described  by  Ensign  Howard,  it  was  only  the  keen 
American  sense  of  humor  that  on  many  occasions 
twisted  moments  of  terror  into  excitants  of  genuine 
laughter,  and  this  disposition  to  joke  under  any  or  all 
circumstances  obtained  not  only  in  the  wardroom  but 
in  the  truly  enough  cheerless  crew's  quarters  as  well. 

"  It  was  always  a  joke,"  said  this  breezy  young  officer, 
"when  one  of  us  would  receive  the  contents  of  a  plate  of 
soup  or  a  dish  of  beans  in  his  lap,  and  there  were  always 
shouts  of  delight  when  all  of  the  dishes  left  their  racks 
and  sped,  bumping  the  bumps,  across  the  table  to  the 
floor.  The  piano  and  paymaster's  safe  were  made  fast  to 
the  bulkheads  on  either  side  of  the  wardroom,  and  we 
often  made  pools  on  which  of  them  would  carry  away 
first,  and  who  would  be  in  the  pinch  when  it  broke  from 
its  moorings  and  crashed  into  our  magnificent  mahogany 
table. 

[75] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


"It  was  also  a  common  occurrence  for  the  wardroom 
steward  to  struggle  through  the  doorway  and  announce: 
'  Dinner  he  spill  on  de  deck,  sir.  Him  slide  off  de  galley 
range,  sir,'  and  then,  of  course,  it  would  mean  'canned 
Bill'  [cold  corned  beef]  for  the  hungry  mess  that 
night." 

There  was  not  a  yacht  or  a  tugboat  that  made  the 
trip  but  she  lost  her  tow  at  least  once,  and  some  many 
times.  On  such  occasions  much  hilarious  amusement 
was  gotten  out  of  the  excitable  temperaments  of  the 
French  crews  of  whatever  chaser  happened  to  be  in 
trouble.  Once,  in  getting  into  a  position  from  which  a 
line  could  be  floated  to  one  of  them,  the  Venetia  mis- 
calculated her  distance  and  collided  gently  with  the 
chaser's  stern.  Immediately  there  were  excited  cries 
above  the  roar  of  the  waves,  accompanied  by  gesticu- 
lations with  arms,  legs,  and  shoulders  that  were  not  in 
the  slightest  degree  what  might  have  been  expected 
from  hardy  mariners.  Lieutenant  Le  Breton,  the  com- 
manding officer  of  one  of  the  chasers,  who  had  smashed 
two  of  his  ringers  and  had  come  aboard  the  Venetia  for 
medical  treatment,  witnessed  this  occurrence  with  every 
manifestation  of  true  Gallic  excitement,  and  cried  out, 
"Stupidt!  Stupide!"  But  whether  he  meant  the  chaser 
or  the  Venetia  was  never  satisfactorily  determined. 

There  were  also  misgivings  and  some  discomfort  when 
the  fleet  commander  would  order  all  vessels  to  practise 
zigzagging.  This  tortuous  altering  of  the  course  of  a 
vessel  from  thirty  to  forty  degrees  right  to  an  angle  of 
the  same  number  of  degrees  left,  with  changes  every  few 
minutes,  is  difficult  enough  in  a  moderately  ruffled  sea, 
with  a  heavy  tow-line  stretching  more  than  a  hundred 
fathoms  astern;  but  it  is  doubly  wearing  and  dangerous 
in  nasty  weather,  as  each  of  the  crews  now  discovered 

[76] 


WAVES     MOUNTAINHIGH 


to  its  great  cost  of  strength  and  loss  of  sleep.  Neverthe- 
less, everyone  aboard  was  hungry  for  real  war,  and  since 
such  endless  hard  work  as  this  seemed  part  of  the  process 
of  blazing  a  trail  to  it,  no  one  complained. 

During  the  height  of  this  storm  in  the  "Roaring 
Forties"  there  was  scarcely  one  of  its  many  days  that 
was  not  marked  by  some  kind  of  a  mishap  to  one  or 
more  of  the  vessels.  On  the  fourth  day  out  from  Ber- 
muda, during  the  morning  watch,  one  of  the  submarine 
chasers  suddenly  appeared  off  the  port  bow,  laboring 
heavily  under  her  own  power,  and  signaled  that  her  tow- 
line  had  parted  and  she  "could  not  find  mother."  At 
that  time  it  was  not  possible  to  pass  a  line  aboard  the 
"wayward  child,"  but  soon  thereafter  two  of  the 
"mothers"  were  made  out  with  their  "babies"  adrift, 
and  a  third  wirelessed  that  her  line,  too,  had  parted,  and 
called  for  assistance.  During  the  day  there  was  little 
change  in  the  details  of  this  distressing  misadventure, 
and  the  Venetia  was  ordered  by  wireless  to  stand  by, 
ready  to  render  assistance  to  her  troubled  or  disabled 
sisters  until  the  long  watches  of  the  black  night  had 
passed. 

In  the  early  morning  the  navy  tug  Earnegat  came 
alongside  and  asked  for  a  new  tow-line  to  replace  that 
lost  by  the  flagship  Nokomis,  leaving  her  tow  to  take 
care  of  itself  under  its  own  power.  After  much  maneu- 
vering, and,  be  it  regretfully  confessed,  considerable  bad 
language,  the  line  was  gotten  aboard  of  the  Earnegat  and 
off  she  plunged  on  her  errand  of  greatly  needed  succor. 
Then  it  was  noticed  that  the  Earnegat 's  tow  was  also 
"sloshing  about"  helplessly,  owing  to  engine  trouble, 
and  she  began  wigwagging  for  assistance.  The  Venetia 
veered  about  toward  her,  threw  her  a  tow-line,  and  then 
labored  on  with  two  submarine  chasers  in  tow,  while  in 

[77] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


~l 


the  circumstances  one  was  more  than  she  could  accom- 
modate with  any  great  degree  of  comfort  or  security. 

As  a  matter  of  record,  it  may  be  stated  here  that  these 
submarine  chasers  were  almost  continually  in  trouble 
while  under  their  own  power,  and  frequently  while  under 
tow.  The  French  engineers,  who  were  unaccustomed  to 
the  American  motors,  which  materially  differed  from 
their  own,  never  seemed  to  learn  how  to  work  them 
properly,  and  moreover,  they  certainly  burned  much 
more  fuel  than  was  at  all  necessary,  and  were  continu- 
ally calling  for  a  fresh  supply.  At  all  events,  they  were  a 
continual  source  of  official  concern  aboard  of  the  towing 
vessels,  irrespective  of  what  their  other  qualifications 
may  have  been. 

To  return  to  the  towing  squadrons,  twenty-four  hours 
of  hard  work  was  necessary  in  assembling  the  various 
"mothers"  and  their  "children,"  and  after  a  tempestuous 
night  during  which  lights  were  shown  for  fifteen  minutes 
every  hour,  it  was  discovered,  of  course  to  the  dismay 
of  the  fleet  commander,  that  all  of  the  vessels  were  again 
separated.  No  single  one  reported  any  other  in  sight,  so 
there  was  nothing  left  for  each  of  them  but  to  proceed 
"on  its  own,"  and  make  the  best  course  it  could  toward 
its  destination,  now  quite  as  far  ahead  as  Bermuda  was 
astern. 


[78] 


CHAPTER  XIV 

TRULY  A  "SUICIDE  FLEET" 

THE  STORM  INCREASES  — DEPTH  CHARGES  AWASH— "vENETIAV 
GEROUS   DUTY— THE   SQUADRON   SEPARATED. 


DAN- 


the  days  wore  on  one  by  one,  other 
tows  hove  in  sight,  nearly  all  of  them 
reporting  mishaps  of  varying  degrees 
of  gravity,  only  to  disappear  again,  and 
once  more  it  became  apparent  that, 
owing  to  the  continued  heavy  weather, 
it  was  utterly  impossible  to  preserve  formation  of  any 
kind. 

At  times  when  the  Venetia  demanded  unusually  united 
service  from  her  crew,  there  was  unmistakable  evidence 
present  that  a  large  part  of  it,  to  say  nothing  of  some 
of  her  officers,  were  prostrated  by  seasickness,  which 
seemed  to  add  to  this  distressing  handicap  with  the 
tolling  of  each  terrifying  half-hour.  This  was  especially 
noticeable  on  one  occasion  when  several  of  the  depth 
charges  were  washed  out  of  their  racks  and  "sloshed 
about"  in  the  waves  flooding  the  quarter,  in  imminent 
danger  of  exploding  at  any  moment  and  sending  all 
hands  to  the  bottom.  It  required  no  small  effort,  and  no 
mistake,  to  rescue  and  lash  them  down  again  short- 
handed,  but  the  effort  was  made  successfully,  and 
everyone  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief,  excepting  only  those 

[79] 


Ilii 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


unfortunates  who  had  no  sighs  left  to  heave  and  were 
indifferent  even  to  the  danger  of  depth  charges. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  here  that  a  few  months  later  there 
came  a  general  laugh  in  petty  officers'  quarters  and  fore- 
castle when  it  was  learned  that  a  medal  of  honor  had 
been  awarded  a  "bo's'n's  mate"  of  another  ship  for 
having  salvaged  dislodged  depth  charges.  This  had 
occurred  several  times  on  the  Venetias  after  deck,  and 
was  regarded  as  being  merely  an  exciting  episode  in  the 
ordinary  line  of  duty,  for  which  honorable  mention  or  a 
distinguished  service  medal  was  not  expected. 

Before  daybreak  on  the  following  morning  there  came 
a  wail  of  distress  from  submarine  chaser  No.  67,  to  the 
effect  that  her  tow-line  had  parted  and  she  was  adrift. 
The  tow-line  was  hauled  aboard  and  repaired,  but  when 
the  heaving  sea  was  illuminated  by  as  much  sunshine  as 
could  very  well  percolate  through  the  gauze  of  mingled 
haze  and  mist,  she  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  All  through 
that  day  the  Venetia  steamed  on  various  courses  in 
search  of  her  "truant  child,"  but  to  no  purpose.  Then 
there  arose,  one  after  another,  misgivings  as  to  her 
probable  fate,  for,  ever  since  leaving  Bermuda,  there 
had  been  a  growing  doubt  as  to  the  entire  efficiency  of 
the  Frenchmen  in  manning  American  chasers.  One  of 
the  Naval  Reserve  crew — it  was  the  lily  farmer,  by  the 
way — ventured  the  remark: 

"Believe  me,  and  I'm  telling  all  the  world,  those 
Frenchmen  are  merry  hell  ashore,  but  altogether  another 
kind  of  hell  afloat."' 

Just  before  sunset  No.  67  was  made  out,  following 
close  astern  of  the  Penobscot,  apparently  doing  very 
well  under  her  own  power.  The  sea  was  still  too  rough 
to  admit  of  the  passing  of  a  tow-line  to  her,  so  the  signal 
flags  JA  (follow  in  my  wake)  were  hoisted,  in  the  hope 

[so] 


TRULY    A    "SUICIDE    FLEET" 


that  by  daylight  the  sea  would  have  moderated  suf- 
ficiently to  render  possible  an  effort  to  annex  her  again 
to  the  tow-line.  But  for  some  unaccountable  reason  or 
other,  except  that  her  quartermaster  could  not  have 
been  looking,  she  failed  to  answer  the  signal,  and  night- 
fall was  on  to  shut  her  again  from  view. 

The  morning  dawned  with  nothing  to  break  the 
stormy  solitude  except  the  occasional  glimpse  of  a 
wreath  of  smoke  on  the  horizon,  and  then  a  dense  fog 
left  the  Venetia  a  solitary,  struggling  bark  in  the  midst 
of  an  angry  sea. 

It  was  the  thirteenth  of  January,  and  the  predictions 
of  the  superstitious  to  the  effect  that  the  truant  would 
never  be  found  on  that  day  were  fully  verified.  More- 
over, that  night,  in  addition  to  her  own  troubles,  which 
in  all  conscience  were  sore  enough,  the  Venetia  was  or- 
dered by  radio  to  search  for  submarine  chaser  No.  68, 
which  someone  had  lost  and  nobody  could  seem  to 
find.  Accordingly,  lookouts  were  posted  in  each  mast- 
head, and  all  night  long  searchlights  swept  the  spray- 
encumbered  horizon,  with  no  further  effect  than  that  an 
occasional  light  was  made  out  in  the  dim  distance,  only 
to  disappear  again,  and  some  forecastle  wag  with  a 
baritone  voice  broke  the  silence  with: 

"Theirs  not  to  reason  why,  theirs  but  to  shine  and 
die!" 

The  next  night,  after  another  day  of  tempestuous  and 
ineffectual  search,  the  Galatea  and  Nokomis  were  made 
out,  the  former  with  No.  67  in  tow.  Then  came  the 
signal  that,  for  some  unaccountable  reason — no  doubt  a 
French  one  of  some  kind — she  had  cast  off  her  mooring 
lines  and  was  making  for  the  Venetia.  This  she  did  with 
such  unexpected  celerity  that  she  suddenly  appeared  from 
out  of  the  darkness  dead  ahead;  and  while  an  attempt 

[81] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


was  being  made  to  stream  a  line  attached  to  a  life-buoy 
aboard  of  her,  so  that  with  it  she  might  haul  the  tow- 
line  aboard,  she  struck  the  Venetia  a  heavy  blow  square 
against  the  port  side,  just  forward  of  the  bridge. 

Investigation  developed  that  no  material  damage  had 
resulted  from  this  "sudden  thrust  out  of  the  dark  of 
night,"  so  the  Venetia  stood  by  until  morning,  when  No. 
67  finally  picked  up  the  tow-line,  and  full  speed  ahead 
was  ordered,  so  that  lost  time  might  be  made  up. 
Scarcely  an  hour  had  elapsed,  however,  before  No.  67 
signaled  that  her  steering  gear  had  broken  down  and 
speed  was  reduced  to  mere  steerage  way.  No  sooner  had 
that  been  repaired  than  there  came  the  signal  that  her 
towing-bridle  needed  repairs,  and  the  lily  farmer  re- 
marked: 

"What  I  said  about  the  Frenchmen  at  sea  goes  double 
now!" 

Twice  during  the  next  twenty-four  hours  the  unfor- 
tunate bridle  parted,  and  as  many  times  the  unavoidable 
delays  in  splicing  it  and  getting  under  way  again  in- 
spired even  that  part  of  the  ship's  company  who  frowned 
upon  superstition  of  any  kind  with  the  belief  that  the 
Americo-French  submarine  chaser  No.  67  was  certainly 
an  unlucky  associate  for  the  ever-fortunate,  always- 
undisturbed,  and  constantly  plodding  Venetia. 

In  addition  to  her  endless  solicitude  for  No.  67,  the 
Venetia^  during  the  continuance  of  this  seemingly  in- 
terminable storm,  was  frequently  summoned  to  the 
assistance  of  the  handsome  but  not  very  seaworthy 
flagship  Nokomis.  This  vessel  had  been  built  on  the 
Lakes  for  pleasure  service  in  those  waters  only,  and  her 
high  freeboard  and  tenderly  constructed  machinery 
were  indeed  poorly  adapted  to  sea  service,  expecially 
the  kind  of  service  now  demanded  of  her.  On  one  occa- 


TRULY    A     "SUICIDE     FLEET1 


sion  this  signal  to  "render  assistance  to  Nokomis"  came 
when  the  seas  were  running  higher  than  ever,  and  it  was 
by  no  means  certain  that  the  Venetia  could  drop  her  tow 
and  turn  suddenly  in  the  opposite  direction.  But  "orders 
is  orders"  and  when  the  signal  was  brought  to  Captain 
Porterfield  he  controlled  an  exclamation  of  surprise  and 
said: 

"We  may  never  make  the  turn,  but  here  goes!" 

Then,  when  the  helm  was  hard  over  and  the  turn  had 
been  made  without  shipping  engulfing  seas,  he  turned  to 
the  watch  officer  on  the  bridge,  and  growled: 

"No  wonder  they  called  us  the  'Suicide  Fleet'  when 
we  left  Philadelphia!" 

One  by  one  the  tow-lines  of  the  Nokomis  had  parted 
beyond  recovery,  until  her  store  of  spare  ones  was  ex- 
hausted, and  the  Venetia  was  compelled  to  supply  her 
with  new  ones  until  she  had  no  spare  ones  left.  She  would 
indeed  have  been  in  a  sore  predicament  had  she  lost  the 
only  one  now  in  somewhat  precarious  use  as  a  binding 
cord  between  herself  and  a  certain  rebellious  infant 
officially  designated  as  "submarine  chaser  No.  67." 
During  this  storm  she  had  been,  following  as  many 
partings  of  her  tow-line,  variously  in  tow  of  the  Venetia, 
Nokomis,  Galatea,  and  Penobscot,  and  it  was  hoped  that 
this  time  she  might  be  held  in  subjection.  But  again  the 
tow-line  parted  close  to  the  chaser's  bridle;  many  hours 
were  spent  in  standing  off"  and  on  to  pass  the  repaired 
line  aboard,  and  after  several  ineffectual  attempts, 
Captain  Porterfield  ordered  it  chopped  adrift  altogether 
and  the  chaser  was  compelled  to  proceed  under  her  own 
power,  following  in  the  wake  of  the  Venetia  as  closely  as 
she  could. 


[83] 


CHAPTER  XV 


o 


THE    LOST   SUBMARINE   CHASERS 

ARRIVAL  AT  PONTA  DELGADA— "vENETIA"  ALONE   UNSCATHED— AN 
OFFICER'S  COLLAPSE— SHORE  LEAVE  AT  PONTA  DELGADA. 

N  the  twenty-third  of  January,  after 
sixteen  days  of  continuous  stormy 
weather,  the  picturesque  little  harbor 
of  Ponta  Delgada,  Azores,  was  reached. 
The  Galatea  was  already  waiting  there 
with  her  chaser  alongside,  and  reported 
that  she  had  never  once  lost  her  tow-line.  As  to  most  of 
the  other  towing  vessels,  however,  these  strenuous  six- 
teen days  had  been  more  disastrous  than  had  been 
anticipated,  for  all  of  them  except  the  Venetia  had  lost 
one  or  more  men  overboard,  and  one  of  the  chasers  lost 
three  men  out  of  her  small  crew  of  twenty-five  all  told. 
Worse  even  than  that,  three  of  the  chasers  were  missing 
altogether,  and  the  U.  S.  tug  Concord^  after  discovering 
that  her  tow  was  not  in  port,  immediately  put  out  in 
search  of  her,  since,  if  she  were  never  found,  her  com- 
mander must  be  subjected  to  a  general  court  martial. 
The  Venetia^  too,  having  proved  herself  to  be  the  best 
sea  boat  of  the  squadron,  as  well  as  the  speediest,  was 
ordered  to  proceed  to  the  westward  in  search  of  the 
missing  boats,  and  at  once  got  under  way.  But  although 
she  steered  over  many  different  courses  for  more  than  a 


HARBOR  OF  PONTA  DELGADA 


WATER  GATE,   PONTA  DELGADA 


THE  LOST  SUBMARINE  CHASERS 


week,  covering  in  all  more  than  10,000  square  miles  of 
ocean,  none  of  the  chasers  was  sighted,  so  the  course 
was  retraced  back  to  Ponta  Delgada.  Two  days  later, 
the  Concord  returned,  reporting  that  she  had  been 
equally  unsuccessful,  and  her  unfortunate  charge  must 
be  given  up  for  lost.  Later  reports  developed  the  lamen- 
table truth  that  she  had  gone  down  with  all  on  board, 
and  the  order  summoning  the  Concord's  commander  to 
a  general  court  martial  followed  shortly  thereafter. 

During  the  sixteen  days'  stay  in  Ponta  Delgada  tidings 
came  to  the  effect  that  one  of  the  remaining  lost  chasers 
had  been  picked  up  by  a  Spanish  steamer  and  towed 
back  to  Bermuda,  to  be  sent  on  later  with  another 
convoy,  while  the  other,  as  learned  by  radio,  was  pro- 
ceeding back  to  Bermuda  under  her  own  power.  Many 
weeks  later  the  experiences  of  this  staunch  little  vessel 
with  a  resourceful  commander,  as  published  by  the 
French  government,  which  decorated  him,  formed  the 
one  story  of  rare  heroism  that  marked  that  memorable 
cruise.  Having  been  lost  by  her  convoying  vessel,  her 
commander,  a  hardy  North  Sea  fisherman,  now  a 
quartermaster  in  the  French  Navy,  decided  to  turn  back 
toward  Bermuda,  the  direction  of  the  wind  and  waves 
apparently  rendering  that  course  the  safer  one.  But  soon 
her  fuel  became  exhausted;  the  wind  shifted  again,  and 
she  tossed  about  helplessly,  hundreds  of  miles  away 
from  the  nearest  land.  Then  the  fisherman-skipper, 
fertile  in  expedient  through  many  battles  with  the  perils 
of  the  sea,  decided  upon  the  only  one  that  could  cope 
with  the  present  emergency.  A  strong  northwest  wind 
now  rendered  it  impossible  to  adopt  other  than  an 
easterly  course,  so  he  extemporized  sails  from  bedding, 
bent  them  upon  the  slender  mast  and  drove  before  the 
brisk  leading  breeze.  Supplies  of  food  and  water  were 

[85] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


IN 
i ' 


r. 


reduced  to  a  point  where  mere  starvation  alone  was 
avoided,  and  after  a  tempestuous  struggle  of  twenty- 
nine  days,  that  must  have  utterly  prostrated  a  crew 
made  of  less  sterling  stuff,  she  finally  made  her  way  to 
the  coast  of  France,  a  miraculous  escape  from  enroll- 
ment among  the  many  unfathomable  mysteries  of  the 
deep. 

This  achievement  was  all  the  more  amazing  because 
the  little  vessel  was  entirely  without  navigating  instru- 
ments of  any  kind,  and  when  her  remarkable  experiences 
were  related  in  the  wardroom  of  the  Venetia  it  was 
generally  believed  that  "those  fishermen  must  have 
smelled  their  way  into  their  home  waters." 

Exhaustive  survey  again  proved  the  splendid  sea- 
worthiness of  the  Venetia^  for,  aside  from  the  few  minor 
repairs  always  necessary,  even  on  liners,  after  many  days 
of  "dirty  weather,"  she  had  come  out  of  the  most  har- 
rowing storm  of  her  career  practically  unscathed.  The 
crew,  too,  after  the  resultant  lassitude  of  ma!  de  mer  had 
disappeared,  seemed  fit  to  a  man,  and  even  ready  for  a 
repetition  of  the  experiences  of  those  grueling  sixteen 
days  and  nights. 

A  severe  loss  was  sustained,  however,  in  the  utter  col- 
lapse of  the  navigator,  Ensign  MacKenzie.  The  patri- 
otic desire  to  serve  his  country  had  inspired  him  to 
sacrifice  the  ease  and  quiet  of  the  recitation  hall  for  the 
exacting  duties  of  an  active  naval  officer,  a  service  for 
which  he  was  unfit  in  every  way  except  those  of  book- 
learning  and  loyal  sentiment.  The  grave  responsibilities 
of  navigating  a  vessel  under  such  nerve-racking  condi- 
tions, together  with  the  many  nights  of  almost  unbroken 
worry  and  physical  strain,  were  more  than  a  delicate 
and  sensitive  nature  could  fight  through,  and  a  com- 
plete nervous  breakdown  was  the  result.  He  showed  no 

[86] 


RAPID  DELIVERY  IN  PONTA  DELGADA 


CAPTAIN   LA  ROCHE 


ENSIGN  DONALD  MACKENZIE 


THE  LOST  SUBMARINE  CHASERS 


improvement  during  the  unexpectedly  long  stay  at 
Ponta  Delgada,  a  medical  survey  found  him  unfit  for 
further  service,  and  it  was  with  deep  regret  that  he  was 
placed  on  board  of  U.  S.  S.  Mercury  invalided  home.  It 
is  pleasing  to  be  able  to  add,  however,  that,  after  three 
months'  recuperation,  the  now  "Mr."  MacKenzie  was 
found  to  be  eminently  fitted  for  a  less  rigorous  branch  of 
the  government  service  and  appointed  assistant  physi- 
cist in  the  Bureau  of  Standards  of  the  Department  of 
Commerce,  which  very  important  position  he  now 
holds,  in  scientific  research  of  airplane-engine  problems. 

As  has  been  said,  the  stay  in  Ponta  Delgada  was  un- 
expectedly long,  extending  over  a  period  of  sixteen  days. 
The  men  were  granted  almost  unrestricted  liberty 
ashore — as  they  were  duly  warned — for  sightseeing 
purposes  only,  the  regulations  with  reference  to  a  "dry" 
navy,  so  stringently  promulgated  by  the  Honorable 
Josephus  Daniels,  being  technically  enforced  under 
threat  of  severe  penalties  for  any  too  evident  trans- 
gression. 

The  Venetia  lay  quietly  behind  the  long  breakwater — 
no  doubt  through  official  consideration — to  rest  upon  her 
well  won  laurels,  while  the  ships  that  had  lost  their  tows 
altogether  passed  in  and  out  of  the  harbor  in  search  of 
them  or  lay  moored  to  the  repair  ship.  These  searches 
brought  no  successful  results,  however,  and  Captain 
La  Roche,  who  had  arrived  on  the  Nokomis  somewhat 
in  advance  of  the  squadron,  was  called  for  conference 
with  the  several  commanders.  As  he  came  aboard,  it 
was  remarked  that  the  loss  of  the  submarine  chasers 
under  his  command  had  seriously  depressed  him,  and 
he  looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left — even  for  a 
glance  at  his  old  friend  the  lily  farmer — as  he  passed 
down  the  companionway. 

[87] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


The  conference  resulted  in  the  decision  that,  as  the 
towing  vessels  were  behind  their  orders  in  proceeding  to 
their  allotted  destinations,  and  as  every  reasonable  effort 
had  been  made  to  trace  the  lost  chasers,  the  squadron 
should  proceed  on  its  way  without  further  delay.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  the  sixth  of  January  anchors  were  weighed 
once  more,  and  the  convoy  proceeded  eastward  under 
orders  to  report  at  Leixos,  Portugal. 

As  the  Azores  faded  away  into  the  mists  astern,  inter- 
change of  opinions  and  narratives  of  experiences  could 
scarcely  be  said  to  have  clothed  Ponta  Delgada  with  the 
gentle  dignity  of  a  Good  Samaritan,  in  so  far  as  the 
proper  entertainment  of  sailors  ashore  had  been  con- 
cerned. Naturally,  every  effort  was  made  to  adhere 
strictly  to  the  regulations  in  respect  to  the  use  of  "hard 
liquor,"  and  it  was  often  remarked  that  infractions  were 
not  notoriously  frequent  in  the  American  force.  Not  so, 
however,  with  the  men  of  other  nationalities,  who  had 
not  been  placed  under  similar  restrictions,  as  has  been 
carefully  recorded  by  one  of  the  Venetias  officers,  who 
writes: 

"The  Azorean  liquor  is  wild  stuff,  presumably  put  on 
the  market  long  before  it  is  aged.  At  all  events,  the 
sailors  who  ventured  to  imbibe  it  too  freely  seemed  to  go 
crazy.  A  petty  officer  jumped  overboard  while  returning 
from  liberty  ashore,  and  sank,  never  to  rise  again; 
another  jumped  over  the  side  after  coming  aboard  his 
ship,  but  was  rescued  before  he  could  drown ;  one  of  the 
French  sailors  of  our  own  submarine  chaser  which  was 
moored  alongside  was  acting  like  a  raving  maniac  and 
his  vociferous  demonstrations  could  be  heard  all  over 
the  harbor.  His  own  shipmates  could  do  nothing  with 
him,  so  the  commanding  officer,  Lieutenant  Le  Breton, 
asked  for  assistance  to  have  him  confined  in  our  brig. 


THE  LOST  SUBMARINE  CHASERS 


Accordingly,  the  gunner,  a  bo's'n's  mate  and  a  quarter- 
master volunteered,  with  true  American  enthusiasm  in 
anything  that  looked  like  a  'scrap,'  and  soon  had  the 
mad  Frenchman  in  limbo,  and  got  him  below  by  main 
force.  But  it  was  only  a  few  moments  before  he  was  on 
deck  again,  yelling  louder  than  ever,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  pharmacist's  mate  gave  him  a  'shot'  of  atra- 
morphine  that  he  finally  quieted  down  and  slept  the 
sleep  of  the  sadly  misadvised.  It  is  needless  to  say  that, 
taking  lesson  from  these  episodes,  there  were  few  if  any 
of  us  who  were  again  very  sorely  tempted  to  evade  the 
*  bone-dry'  regulations  of  Secretary  Daniels,  at  least  in 
so  far  as  Ponta  Delgada  was  concerned." 

Be  it  said,  however,  that  these  "dry"  regulations 
were  rather  generally  observed,  although  in  a  somewhat 
broadened  sense,  for  they  were  never  supposed  to  apply 
to  those  out  of  uniform,  or — as  the  service  men  express 
it — while  wearing  "cits." 


9 


a 


CHAPTER  XVI 


ENTERING  THE   WAR   ZONE 

THE  FIRST  SHOT— A  QUESTION  OF  VERACITY— A  MERITED  PROMOTION- 
TESTING   OPORTO   PORT— OFF   FOR  "GIB." 

HE  towing  squadron  or  convoy  was  now 
proceeding  in  regular  formation  with 
all  towing  vessels  and  chasers  in  sight, 
and  in  weather  which  seemed  almost 
calm  in  comparison  with  that  encoun- 
tered beyond  the  Azores.  Being  now  in 
the  war  zone  beyond  any  doubt,  extra  lookouts  were  set 
and  every  precaution  taken  to  meet  surprise  with  coun- 
ter surprise,  for  the  Venetia  was  armed  for  any  fray  and 
manned  by  a  now  thoroughly  well  drilled  and  deter- 
mined crew. 

These  intensive  preparations  were  further  accelerated 
by  a  radio  warning,  picked  up  on  the  day  after  leaving 
Ponta  Delgada,  to  the  effect  that  a  vessel  had  just  been 
torpedoed  and  needed  assistance.  Now  the  old  qualm 
of  regret  at  having  been  made  a  towboat  again  came 
into  the  long-expectant  souls  of  the  Venetia  s  crew.  Here 
had  come  an  oft-repeated  S.  O.  S.,  but  the  wail  for  help 
could  not  be  answered  without  cutting  away  the  tow-line 
of  submarine  chaser  No.  318  (the  Venetia  s  new  charge), 
and  hurrying  in  the  indicated  direction  contrary  to 
orders,  which,  of  course,  was  not  to  be  thought  of. 

[90] 


ENTERING    THE     WAR    ZONE 


Vigilance  never  relaxed,  however,  for  a  single  instant, 
day  or  night.  Radio  messages  had  again  hissed  out  their 
warnings  that  submarines  were  active  within  the  radius 
of  the  ship's  wireless  equipment,  and  so  some  member 
of  our  own  squadron  might  be  attacked  at  any  moment. 
No  floating  object  of  any  kind  escaped  the  most 
searching  scrutiny.  Barrels,  boxes,  logs,  pieces  of  wood, 
even  a  water-logged  article  of  clothing,  might  conceal  the 
periscope  of  an  enemy  "sea-sneak"  (as  one  of  the  crew 
had  renamed  them),  and  must  be  subjected  to  examina- 
tion of  the  most  searching  kind,  with  guns  and  depth 
charges  ready  for  instant  use.  Some  of  these  floating 
objects  began  to  furnish  ample  proof  that  vessels  had 
been  torpedoed  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  for 
there  were  the  easily  discernible  parts  of  merchant 
vessels,  and  a  dead  body  lashed  to  one  of  them  gave  to 
the  now  eagerly  expectant  Californians  their  first 
glimpse  of  one  of  the  actual  casualties  of  this  needless 
but  obviously  inevitable  war. 

A  large  squadron  of  fourteen  vessels  was  sighted,  and 
everyone  knew  that  the  enemy  must  know  of  its  where- 
abouts and  be  in  search  of  it.  That  afternoon  the  squad- 
ron had  its  first  thrill  of  excitement  through  a  veritable 
act  of  war,  when  a  sharp  report  and  a  faint  puff  of  smoke 
arose  from  the  deck  of  the  Nahant.  It  was  learned  by 
radio  that  she  had  actually  made  out  an  enemy  peri- 
scope and  fired  at  it,  apparently  without  result,  since  it 
was  not  seen  again,  and  the  lookouts  were  ordered  to  be 
more  alert  than  ever,  if,  indeed,  such  a  thing  were 
possible. 

"On  the  night  of  the  loth,"  relates  Ensign  Howard, 
"during  the  first  watch,  Nicolini  declared  that  he  had 
actually  seen  the  wake  of  a  torpedo  pass  right  under  our 
stern,  and  caught  a  signal  from  the  Nahant  to  the  effect 

[91] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


that  she  could  have  gotten  the  submarine  but  was  afraid 
to  fire  at  her  lest  she  hit  the  Penetia.  At  breakfast  the 
next  morning,  however,  the  wardroom  somewhat  jocu- 
larly decided  that  both  Nicolini  and  the  Nahanfs  com- 
mander had  been  keeping  so  zealous  a  lookout  that  their 
imaginations  may  have  been  working  overtime." 

Nicolini's  impressions  as  to  Howard's  veracity  have 
not  been  obtainable,  but  it  is  needless  to  say  that  they 
would  be  in  no  sense  complimentary. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  vigilance  was  no  whit  relaxed,  for 
each  wreath  of  smoke  upon  the  horizon  now  became  a 
German  cruiser  and  each  floating  object  a  periscope. 
But  all  of  the  anxious  gun-captains  were  doomed  to 
disappointment,  for  the  very  next  night  the  lights  of 
Leixos,  Portugal,  were  sighted,  tow-lines  were  cast  off 
from  the  chasers,  and  all  vessels  stood  off  and  on  until 
morning,  it  being  too  foggy  to  pick  up  the  entrance  to 
this  truly  balmy  and  beautiful  little  port. 

Lieutenant  Mangan  was  on  watch  at  the  time,  with 
the  ship  merely  making  steerage  way  just  outside  the 
breakwater.  The  skipper  laughed  inwardly,  but  with 
true  official  dignity  replied  with  the  usual  "Very  well," 
as  Mangan  shouted  from  the  deck: 

"Fresh  water,  sir!" 

The  purpose  of  this  bit  of  official  information  was  not 
quite  apparent,  except  that  Mangan  had  come  from  the 
Great  Lakes  and  was  glad  to  discover  indications  of 
fresh  water  so  far  from  home.  Anyway,  ever  afterward, 
he  was  known  as  "Fresh  Water  Mangan." 

It  is  a  pleasant  digression  that  is  here  made,  for  the 
purpose  of  calling  attention  to  one  of  those  promotions 
in  the  service  which  are  alone  the  result  of  inherent 
merit  and  close  application,  rather  than  friendly  favor- 
itism or  political  preferment.  The  Venetia  now  had  a 


THE  RIVER  AT  OPORTO 


PUBLIC   SQUARE,  OPORTO 


ENTERING    THE    WAR    ZONE 


new  and  very  capable  watch  officer  in  the  person  of 
Ensign  W.  L.  De  Camp,  recently  promoted  from  the 
grade  of  chief  quartermaster.  The  career  of  young 
De  Camp  is  another  contradiction  of  the  oft-repeated 
statement  that  only  an  Annapolis  man  has  any  show  for 
promotion  in  the  navy,  as  has  been  duly  set  forth  and 
established  by  a  sketch  of  this  young  officer's  life  in 
Chapter  III. 

Leixos  is  not  far  from  Oporto,  and  when  liberty  was 
granted  to  the  many  who  asked  for  it,  there  is  no  record 
that  the  executive  officer  said  anything  concerning  the 
prohibition  regulations  of  Mr.  Daniels,  probably  be- 
cause he  entertained  a  certain  kind  of  sympathy  for 
those  who  might  have  felt  they  had  missed  something 
in  visiting  Oporto  for  the  first  time  without  having 
sampled  its  famous  wine.  To  the  credit  of  the  Venetias 
crew,  however,  it  may  be  said  that  her  log  contains  no 
entry  referring  to  the  overindulgence  of  any  member 
of  it  in  Oporto  port,  nor,  for  the  matter  of  that,  in  any 
other  beverage  with  the  illegal  "kick"  to  it. 

The  stay  of  four  days  at  Leixos  was  not  productive  of 
any  appreciable  degree  of  interest,  and  it  was  quite 
devoid  of  adventure  or  excitement  of  any  kind.  The 
officers  of  the  several  ships  in  the  harbor  naturally 
exchanged  visits  and  held  occasional  teas,  to  match 
yarns  concerning  the  "nasty  weather  in  the  Roaring 
Forties,"  speculate  as  to  the  respective  fates  of  the  lost 
chasers,  and  no  doubt  to  compare  diaries — many  of  the 
reserve  men  kept  them  religiously — so  that  none  of  their 
statements  might  conflict.  The  crew,  after  several 
liberty  parties  ashore,  lolled  about  the  decks,  and  com- 
plained that  there  was  no  excitement  in  Leixos,  and 
little  or  no  hard  liquor  to  be  had  by  those  who  dared  to 
disregard  the  regulations.  Some  of  the  boys  with  a  fair 

[93] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


knowledge  of  "Spanish  as  she  is  spoke"  in  California 
tried  to  make  it  do  in  having  themselves  understood  in 
Portugal,  but  to  no  purpose,  and  insulting  epithets  were 
applied  to  those  who  had  exploited  the  fallacy  that 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  are  singularly  alike.  The  same 
mistake  had  been  made  at  the  Azores,  but  it  was  hoped 
that,  being  next  to  Spain,  there  might  be  more  analogy 
between  her  language  and  that  of  her  next-door  neigh- 
bor, so  again  had  the  "know-all"  missed  fire. 

On  the  morning  of  the  eighteenth  of  February  "Pre- 
pare to  get  under  way"  was  signaled  and  read  without 
regret.  It  was  learned  that  now  the  squadron  of  chasers 
would  be  divided,  one-half  of  it  to  proceed  to  Brest, 
France,  under  the  Nokomis,  and  the  other  half  to  Gib- 
raltar, led  by  the  Venetia^  which  arrangement  was  duly 
carried  into  effect.  This  was  attended  by  no  ceremony 
except  the  waving  of  hats  and  binoculars  as  the  Noko- 
mis  proceeded  with  her  little  family  of  chasers  to  the 
north,  and  the  Venetia  proudly  led  hers  to  the  south, 
with  everyone  on  board  happy  in  the  reflection  that 
soon  she  would  be  out  of  the  towing  business,  it  was 
hoped,  until  the  end  of  the  war. 

The  Venetia  now  had  submarine  chaser  No.  172  in 
tow,  and  the  infant  proved  quite  tractable,  giving  no 
annoyance  whatever  during  the  three  days'  run  to 
Gibraltar,  and  in  fact  each  of  the  towing  vessels  was 
enabled  to  report  that  its  change  in  charges  had  been 
altogether  for  the  better. 


&.. 


IT" 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE    ROCK   OF   GIBRALTAR 

DOUBTS    AS    TO    ITS    IMPREGNABILITY— AMAZING    WAR    CONDITIONS- 
UNPATRIOTIC  HUCKSTERS  — A  FAKE  BULL- FIGHT  AND  A  REAL  ONE. 

[BRALTAR— one  of  the  most  notable 
wonders  of  the  world ;  Nature's  proudest 
fortress  and  a  nation's  proudest  boast; 
whose  beetling  summits  command  an 
ocean  and  a  sea,  presumably  without 
9j§  danger  of  dispute;  whose  impregna- 
bility has  been  neither  questioned  nor  tested,  and  yet 
which  no  one  has  ever  ventured  to  doubt— was  reached 
at  last! 

The  aspect  of  the  mighty  "Rock"  is  not  so  imposing 
when  its  splendid  harbor  is  entered  from  the  west,  or,  so 
to  speak,  by  the  back  door.  Its  solemn  majesty  is  vastly 
more  impressive  and  threatening  when  approached  from 
the  Mediterranean,  but  every  mother's  son  on  the 
Venetias  decks  who  had  not  seen  it  before  regarded  it, 
as  nearly  everyone  does,  with  admiring  awe  as  the 
quartermaster  hoisted  the  ship's  name  letters  on  round- 
ing Europa  Point,  and  she  stood  in  toward  the  naval 
base  at  the  foot  of  the  long  mole. 

Here  there  was  every  movement  to  indicate  the  exis- 
tence of  a  great  war.  The  harbor,  which,  as  one  of  the 
boys  remarked,  seemed  on  a  former  visit  merely  a  haven 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


m 


for  the  safe  anchorage  of  a  big  fleet  of  coal  hulks,  was 
now  choked,  almost  to  the  point  of  danger,  with  every 
known  type  of  fighting  and  merchant  craft,  in  dock,  at 
anchor,  or  passing  in  and  out,  the  former  with  threat- 
ening arrogance.  It  was  pleasing  to  note,  too,  that,  after 
years  of  governmental  parsimony,  the  American  flag 
could  be  seen  floating  from  stern  staff  and  main  truck 
in  numbers  commensurate  with  the  thrilling  dignity  of 
the  world's  greatest  nation. 

There  were  battleships,  cruisers,  destroyers,  sub- 
marines, coaling  vessels  and  transports,  almost  matching 
in  strength  and  efficiency  the  assembled  fleet  of  Gibral- 
tar's invincible  mistress,  and  everyone  on  board  lifted 
his  hat  or  waved  his  hand  to  both,  out  of  pride  in  the 
one,  respect  for  the  other. 

After  the  medical  survey  that  resulted  in  the  in- 
validing home  of  Ensign  MacKenzie,  Captain  Porter- 
field  had  despairingly  decided  to  be  his  own  navigator 
until  a  more  experienced  one  could  be  assigned  to  him, 
and  of  course  was  in  his  conning  station  until  the 
Venetia  should  come  to  anchor.  It  was  told  that  as  he 
turned  away  from  the  signal  dials  and  was  about  to 
descend  the  gangway  to  the  main  deck,  a  young  officer 
who  was  admiring  Gibraltar  for  the  first  time,  accosted 
him: 

"Wonderful,  isn't  it,  sir?" 

"Very!"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

"And  absolutely  impregnable!" 

"Yes,  it  is — on  paper.  But  I've  a  notion  that  if  these 
two  fleets  were  to  move  outside  and  blaze  away  at  it,  it 
would  take  the  world  just  about  six  hours  to  learn  that 
'Old  Gib's'  impregnability  had  been  a  matter  of  poetic 
license  all  along."  And  then  the  skipper  went  below  to 
prepare  himself  for  the  inevitable  official  courtesies 

[96] 


THE    ROCK    OF    GIBRALTAR 


which  naval  etiquette  demands  must  be  interchanged 
immediately  upon  entering  a  new  port,  beginning,  of 
course,  with  the  officer  in  command. 

The  Venetia  was  moored  at  the  dockyard  sea-wall 
alongside  of  the  scout  vessel  Tankton^  whose  fine  record 
long  ago  established  the  fact  that — in  spite  of  the  ad- 
verse opinions  of  many  old-line  officers — yachts  can 
sometimes  be  converted  into  light  cruisers  quite  as 
efficient  as  some  of  those  especially  designed  for  that 
purpose.  Her  career,  it  may  be  recalled,  began  with  the 
Spanish  war;  she  was  the  guide-ship  for  the  great  Ameri- 
can fleet  in  the  circling  of  the  globe,  and  was  still  in 
active  service,  while  newer  and  apparently  better  yachts 
were  being  sent  home  with  most  discouraging  regularity. 

In  so  far  as  her  activities  in  the  present  war  are  con- 
cerned, however,  the  Tankton's  record  is  not  so  un- 
blemished, for  she  was  responsible  for  one  of  the  most 
deplorable  mistakes  of  its  naval  history.  On  one  occasion 
the  lookout  reported  the  periscope  of  a  submarine 
stealing  directly  toward  the  ship,  and  there  being  no 
distinguishing  mark  to  betray  her  nationality,  she  was 
naturally  enough  taken  for  an  enemy. 

All  hands  were  called  to  their  stations,  and  the 
Tankton  made  a  sharp  turn  toward  the  diver  with  the 
intention  of  ramming  her.  She  submerged,  however, 
apparently  without  attempting  to  disclose  her  identity; 
several  depth  charges  were  released,  and  the  awful 
impacts  forced  her  to  the  surface  again,  crippled  and 
helpless.  She  was  then  raked  fore  and  aft  by  three-inch 
and  machine  guns,  when  it  was  suddenly  discovered 
that  she  was  no  enemy  at  all,  but  a  friendly  submarine 
under  the  French  flag. 

Assistance  was  immediately  rendered,  of  course,  when 
the  sad  disclosure  was  made  that  the  captain  and  several 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


of  his  crew  had  been  killed  and  the  vessel  damaged 
beyond  repair.  The  usual  diplomatic  apologies  were 
made,  which  was  all  that  could  be  done,  and  imme- 
diately thereafter  an  improved  system  of  identification 
signals  was  adopted,  for  night  as  well  as  day.  It  must  be 
said,  however,  that  none  of  these  have  proved  satis- 
factory, for  an  American  submarine,  during  the  winter 
of  1918,  was  shot  to  pieces  by  an  American  destroyer 
and  beached  in  Charleston  harbor,  narrowly  escaping 
going  down  with  all  on  board. 

These  two  incidents  would  appear  to  indicate  that, 
since  the  submarine  must  be  fought  blindfolded,  and  it 
is  so  nearly  impossible  to  distinguish  between  friend  and 
foe,  this  kind  of  warfare — unfair  either  in  attack  or  de- 
fense— should  be  abandoned  altogether. 

Submarine  and  gas  bomb  are  analogous  in  their  cruel 
antagonism  to  fair  play,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  when 
that  delectable  but  cumbersome  diplomatic  elephant 
known  as  the  League  of  Nations — one  caustic  critic 
substitutes  an  "o"  for  the  "a" — shall  eventually  have 
declared  itself  ready  for  business,  a  law  will  be  written 
into  the  international  code  removing  them  both  from 
future  warfare,  and  in  such  unmistakable  phrasing  that 
it  may  not  some  day  or  other  be  regarded  as  a  "scrap  of 
paper." 

As  the  two  vessels  lay  side  by  side,  and  were  discussed 
by  the  mechanically  inclined,  the  conclusion  was  reached 
that  the  Venetia^  at  least  in  so  far  as  seaworthiness  and 
belligerency  were  concerned,  was  quite  the  equal  of  the 
other  vessel;  for,  aside  from  the  tightening  of  a  plate 
seam  or  two,  made  leaky  by  collision  with  a  submarine 
chaser  steered  by  a  hysterical  Gaul,  she  was  in  as  prime 
condition  as  when  she  steamed  down  San  Pablo  Bay 
from  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard. 


THE  TOWN    FROM       THE   ROCK. 


THE  ROCK.      FROM  THE  TOWN 


THE     ROCK    OF     GIBRALTAR 


In  verification  of  this  statement,  Admiral  Niblack,  in 
command  of  the  naval  base  at  Gibraltar,  came  aboard 
shortly  after  arrival,  inspected  both  ship  and  crew,  then 
went  away  expressing  entire  satisfaction  at  the  appear- 
ance and  effectiveness  of  the  sturdy  young  suffragette 
from  San  Diego. 

Naturally,  the  first  inquiries  from  those  whose  rank 
gave  them  the  right  to  ask — together  with  much  specu- 
lative guessing  on  the  part  of  petty  officers  and  crew — 
were  with  reference  to  what  the  ship's  future  duties  were 
expected  to  be.  Having  already  demonstrated  that  she 
was  a  much  more  capable  towing  vessel  than  some  of 
those  specially  classified  as  navy  tugs,  it  was  feared  by 
some  that  she  might  be  continued  in  that  menial  and 
unmilitary  service.  But  the  passing  in  and  out  of  the 
harbor  of  great  fleets  of  heavily  laden  merchantmen — 
which  of  course  must  be  convoyed  over  the  submarine- 
infested  Mediterranean — led  the  optimistic  ones  aboard 
to  venture  small  wagers  to  the  effect  that  this  was  to  be 
the  altogether  desirable  activity  to  which  the  Venetia 
was  to  be  assigned. 

This  prediction  became  strengthened,  if  not  fully 
verified,  when  men  came  aboard  to  take  away  the  spare 
parts  for  the  submarine  chasers,  and  Captain  La  Roche 
—who  had  again  been  a  passenger  since  leaving  Ponta 
Delgada — bade  the  ship  an  affectionate  farewell  and 
was  transferred,  bag  and  baggage,  to  a  French  tug 
bearing  the  not  altogether  inappropriate  name  of 
Canard. 

But  it  was  not  until  the  dockyard  workmen  from  the 
naval  base  installed  recognition  signal  devices  of  the 
latest  type,  and  racks  and  launching  gear  for  depth 
charges  strictly  up  to  date,  that  there  remained  no 
further  doubt  as  to  the  gloriously  warlike  future  of  the 

[99] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


f 


Venetia.  Then  when  heavier  depth  charges  were  added 
to  the  already  imposing  store  in  the  magazines,  entirely 
obliterating  all  notion  as  to  the  desirability  of  "safety 
first"  even  in  war,  a  wag  from  the  "Black  Watch" 
poked  his  head  out  of  the  engine-room  hatch  and  re- 
marked: 

"  My,  oh,  my!  If  we  get  a  diver  for  every  load  o'  them 
ash-cans  we  heave  overboard,  crosses  de  gerry  '11  be 
easier  to  get  than  Bull  Durham." 

Contemplation  of  the  possible  early  fulfillment  of 
these  most  hopeful  signs  naturally  diverted  conversa- 
tion to  other  topics,  the  principal  one  being  discussion 
of  coming  liberties  ashore,  as  well  as  the  town,  which 
seemed  amply  prepared  to  supply  them  with  manifold 
opportunities  for  the  complete  exercise  of  them.  Surely 
enough,  Gibraltar  was  now  an  inextricable  confusion  of 
noises,  peoples,  tongues,  and  fighting,  jostling  crowds, 
when  placed  by  memory  in  comparison  with  the  peace- 
ful, picturesque,  and  quaint  little  city  remembered  by 
those  who  had  been  former  tourist  visitors  from  liners 
passing  in  and  out  of  the  strait. 

Everything  seemed  multiplied  by  ten.  There  were 
ten  times  as  many  Hindoo  and  Arab  peddlers;  ten  times 
as  many  barkers  crying  the  wares  of  ten  times  as  many 
grasping  hucksters;  ten  times  as  many  dark-skinned 
and  gaudily  handkerchiefed  Spanish  maidens  with  ten 
times  as  many  laces  to  sell  at  ten  times  more  extortion- 
ate rates.  There  were  ten  times  as  many  cab  drivers, 
who  exacted  ten  times  as  much  fare,  and  ten  times  as 
many  places  of  amusement,  the  character  of  whose 
entertainment  offered  must  truthfully  be  expressed  by 
minus  ten. 

Nevertheless,  it  was  full  of  brilliant  color  and  busy 
life,  this  new  Gibraltar,  and  life  and  color  are  all  that 

[100] 


THE     ROCK    OF    GIBRALTAR 


the  sailor  ashore  expects  or  cares  for,  no  matter  what 
the  cost  to  his  pocket,  his  appetites,  his  digestion,  or  his 
morals.  This  profligate  tendency  of  the  jacky  on  liberty 
was  again  duly  recorded  on  the  return  of  the  first  party 
from  the  Venetias  forecastle,  when  it  was  questioned  by 
another  expectant  group  just  preparing  to  leave. 

"How  did  they  treat  you  over  there?"  was  asked. 

"Trimmed  us  good  and  proper,  but  it  was  great,  all- 
righty!" 

Some  of  the  men,  attracted  by  glaring  posters  and 
the  assurances  of  loudly  necktied  and  waistcoated 
agents  employed  to  "tout"  its  exciting  and  murderous 
episodes,  crowded  noisily  into  carriages  and  were  taken 
over  to  La  Linea  to  witness  their  first  bull-fight.  La 
Linea  (the  Spanish  equivalent  for  the  English  "the 
line")  is  a  little  town  on  the  low-lying  sandspit  just  out- 
side the  limits  of  the  British  concession,  where  the  dolce 
jar  niente  customs  of  its  inhabitants  immediately  in- 
spire the  visitor  with  the  conviction  that  it  has  neither 
sanitary  laws  nor  departments  of  street  cleaning  or 
public  health. 

It  has  a  fairly  good-sized  arena,  however,  devoted  to 
the  disgusting  cruelties  of  the  great  national  sport  of 
Spain,  where  bull-fights  are  given  as  often  as  an  audi- 
ence can  be  gathered,  which  does  not  much  care  whether 
it  be  thrilled  or  fooled.  This  was  the  impression  left  upon 
the  minds  of  the  three  carriage-loads  of  "Venetians"  as 
they  hurried  back  to  Gibraltar,  indignant  at  having 
witnessed  so  palpable  a  fake.  One  of  them  answered,  in 
reply  to  questions  from  curious  shipmates  who  had  been 
frugal  enough  to  receive  a  report  in  advance  from  the 
more  reckless  scouting  party: 

"Bunk!  The  bull  wouldn't  fight,  and  the  horses 
couldn't  have  ran  away  if  he'd  tried  to  chase  'em.  They 

[101] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


killed  him  all  right,  but  it  was  a  mercy,  for  he'd  uv 
dropped  dead  the  next  time  they  chased  him  out." 

Better  reports  were  brought  aboard,  however,  by 
other  liberty  men  who  had  taken  the  longer  and  more 
expensive  trip  northward  to  beautiful  Algeciras,  where 
met  the  peace  commissioners  who  arranged  the  terms  of 
peace  between  Spain  and  the  United  States  in  1899. 
Here  there  were  held  almost  daily  bull-fights,  given 
with  the  horrifying  perfection  of  this  cruel  shedding  of 
the  blood  of  dumb  creatures,  with  famous  star  mata- 
dores,  horses  full  of  spirit,  and  bulls  warranted  to  gore 
at  the  first  sting  of  the  banderillas.  It  is  safe  to  say, 
however,  that  none  of  the  ship's  company — excepting 
the  few  of  Spanish  blood — had  been  in  any  way  inspired 
by  Spain's  great  national  sport.  They  would  far  rather 
have  witnessed  a  game  of  baseball,  or  a  brace  of  nervy 
bantam-weights  in  a  sixteen-foot  ring,  and  many  of 
them  had  almost  turned  the  arena  into  one  when  sev- 
eral officers  were  almost  ejected  from  their  box  for  the 
seemingly  unpardonable  offense  of  cheering  the  bull. 


[102] 


REFUSING  TO   BE  INFURIATED 


PATIENTLY  AWAITING  DEATH 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

REAL   SERVICE  AT  LAST 

FIRST    DEPARTURE     FROM    GIBRALTAR— COMPOSITION    OF    THE    FIRST 
CONVOY— TO    BIZERTA,  TUNIS   AND   RETURN. 

HE  celerity  and  completeness  with  which 
the  dockyard  workmen  installed  im- 

T  proved  gears,  and,  assisted  by  the  crew, 

hurried  extra  ammunition,  fuel  oil,  and 
stores  aboard,  inspired  all  hands  with 
true  ardor  for  the  calling  in  which  they 
had  enlisted,  inspired  by  their  own  watchword — better 
to  them  than  the  securing  of  democracy  for  the  world — 
"Remember  the  Lusifama!" 

Now  it  became  noised  about  that  there  would  soon  be 
"something  doing,"  for  the  good  ship  Venetia  had  been 
chosen  to  assist  in  the  convoying  of  great  merchant 
fleets,  to  protect  them  from  the  ghostly  submarine,  in 
waters  where  it  was  hoped  they  would  be,  as  the  lily 
farmer  remarked,  "thicker  than  porpoises  off  Catalina 
and  easier  to  get." 

Less  than  ten  days  were  consumed  in  this  work,  and 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  second  of  March,  a  British  tug 
warped  the  Venetia  away  from  the  dock  into  the  stream, 
and  she  moved  into  her  allotted  place  in  the  imposing 
fleet  of  merchantmen  and  ships  of  war.  Her  actual  bel- 
ligerent career  had  begun  in  dead  earnest,  with  the 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


nerves  of  the  crew  keyed  up  to  a  high  pitch  of  enthu- 
siasm, and  the  greatly  relieved  Captain  Porterfield 
complacently  official,  but  inwardly  "spoiling  for  a 
fight.". 

It  might  not  be  amiss  to  furnish  the  reader  here  with  a 
brief  description  of  the  guarding  of  a  convoy,  which  was 
a  stringent  rule  and  one  that  was  seldom  if  ever  deviated 
from.  When  a  convoy  was  "formed  up"  the  escort 
vessels — such  as  the  Venetia,  Cythera,  and  the  trawlers — 
were  first  signaled  by  the  flagship  to  take  stations.  Then 
they  left  their  "forming-up  stations"  at  the  heads  of 
columns,  and  proceeded  to  the  "escort  stations"  as- 
signed them  in  the  "plan  of  convoy."  This  was  usually 
on  the  port  or  starboard  bow,  or  port  or  starboard 
quarter  of  the  convoy,  where  the  escort  vessels  zig- 
zagged continuously  on  their  stations,  maintaining  a 
distance  ranging  from  four  hundred  yards  to  eight 
hundred  yards  from  the  vessel  nearest  to  their  assigned 
stations. 

The  trim  little  Venetia  looked  saucier  and  more  busi- 
nesslike than  ever  as  she  took  the  station  assigned  to 
her  outside  the  long  breakwater  with  Europa  Point 
bearing  southeast.  Her  engines  throbbed  nervously  as 
if  in  protest  against  what  seemed  to  her  crew  the  slow- 
ness of  signaling  the  convoy  into  formation.  Perhaps  it 
was  being  done  with  as  much  celerity  as  was  consistent 
with  safety,  and,  moreover,  the  convoy  commander, 
Captain  Roper,  evidently  knew  his  business.  But  the 
bearer  of  official  rank,  especially  if  he  be  youthful,  is 
very  critical,  and  generally  has  a  notion  that  he  can  do 
what  it  is  necessary  to  do,  just  a  little  better  than  the 
other  fellow. 

Finally,  however,  and  no  doubt  with  the  usual  dis- 
patch, the  convoy  got  under  way  in  eight  columns,  the 

[104] 


REAL    SERVICE    AT    LAST 


order  of  the  columns  and  the  stations  of  the  twenty- 
seven  ships  composing  them  being  as  follows: 

First  column,  Fr.  trawler  Isolde,  S.  S.  Tunsdall,  S.  S. 
Caterin,  S.  S.  Floreston;  second  column,  a  British  armed 
tugboat,  S.  S.  Dunstay,  S.  S.  Gyp,  S.  S.  Salina\  third 
column,  U.  S.  S.  Venetia,  S.  S.  Clan  Chisholm,  S.  S. 
Avona,  S.  S.  Wahnesnock,  S.  S.  Meaford\  fourth  column, 
S.  S.  Pacific  transport,  S.  S.  Giore,  S.  S.  Armando,  S.  S. 
Kourek;  fifth  column,  U.  S.  S.  Cythera,  S.  S.  Buron 
Abrossan,  S.  S.  Karer  Prince,  S.  S.  Giuseppe,  S.  S. 
Figuera;  sixth  column,  S.  S.  Bylands,  S.  S.  Ellin,  S.  S. 
Shadwell;  seventh  column,  U.  S.  S.  Artemus,  S.  S.  Venus, 
S.  S.  Bomdeleforde,  S.  S.  Ellis;  eighth  column,  British 
tugboat,  S.  S.  Ravenston,  S.  S.  Marue  de  Larrinago, 
S.  S.  Hesanger. 

At  nightfall  all  ships  of  this  imposing  fleet  that  marked 
the  beginning  of  the  Venetias  actual  war  duty  were  of 
course  compelled  to  steam  without  lights,  and  stringent 
orders  had  been  issued  to  the  effect  that  all  should  be 
inspected  for  lights  every  half-hour.  This  ominous  dark- 
ness made  navigation  not  only  extremely  difficult  but 
most  hazardous,  owing  to  the  close  proximity  of  the 
vessels  to  each  other,  which  rendered  collision  probable 
at  almost  any  time.  But  the  precaution  with  reference 
to  darkened  ships  was  truly  imperative,  for  the  showing 
of  a  single  light  might  expose  a  target  toward  which  a 
lurking  submarine  might  launch  its  deadly  torpedo  and 
send  millions  of  dollars  in  cargo  value  to  the  bottom,  to 
say  nothing  of  hundreds  of  precious  lives. 

An  armed  vessel  was  the  special  guard  of  its  own 
column,  and  kept  close  watch  over  it,  although  it  was 
frequently  signaled  to  make  hurried  trips  toward  either 
horizon  in  search  of  a  possible  enemy,  which  well- 
grounded  rumor,  and  evidences  of  many  destructive 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


actualities,  had  made  as  numerous  as  a  school  of  dol- 
phins in  pursuit  of  a  shoal  of  herring.  The  indefiniteness 
of  these  rumors,  however,  did  not  serve  to  allay  anxiety 
or  lessen  precautions  in  the  slightest  degree,  for  that 
vessels  had  very  recently  been  torpedoed  in  these 
waters  was  made  all  too  evident  by  the  litter  of  wreck- 
age on  the  surface  of  the  sea,  consisting  of  various  bits 
of  the  woodwork  of  ships,  barrels,  life-rafts,  and  un- 
manned boats. 

As  no  lights  of  any  kind  were  permitted  at  night, 
whenever  a  vessel  of  the  Venetians  column  would  sur- 
reptitiously hang  one  over  the  stern,  as  a  preventive 
against  collision  with  her  nearest  following  neighbor,  it 
became  one  of  the  many  duties  of  the  Venetia  to  hurry 
toward  the  offender  and  order  a  return  at  once  to 
Stygian  darkness.  It  is  on  such  perilous  runs  as  these 
that  moonlight  comes  like  an  angel  of  mercy  to  nervous 
navigators,  and  dispels  the  continual  dread  that 
obsesses  the  souls  of  officers  and  lookouts  during  the 
long  watches  of  the  night,  although  it  also  exposes  the 
vessels  to  the  watchful  enemies  that  are  supposed  to  be 
everywhere  about  them.  While  moonlight  is  not  so 
helpful  to  navigation  as  even  a  small  lantern  on  stern  or 
masthead,  it  at  least  furnishes  sufficient  light  to  betray 
the  approach  of  dangerous  friends,  and  establish  some 
sort  of  safety  zone  in  which  to  detect  a  possible  col- 
lider that  may  suddenly  appear  out  of  the  darkness. 
Happily,  however,  on  this  first  convoying  cruise,  while 
sombre  clouds  obscured  a  moon  that  might  have  shone 
as  a  beacon  of  security,  there  were  occasional  glimpses 
of  her  which  provided  the  desired  protection. 

On  the  third  day  out  of  Gibraltar,  a  French  dirigible 
and  two  airplanes  appeared  from  beyond  the  mists  to 
the  eastward,  made  several  graceful  detours  above  and 

[106] 


REAL    SERVICE    AT    LAST 


about  the  convoy,  and  then  disappeared  in  the  direction 
of  Bizerta,  as  if  in  mute  encouragement  that  the  course 
was  clear  of  enemies  ahead  of  it.  Presumably  this  was 
their  motive,  for  there  was  no  impediment  of  any  kind 
to  peaceful  progress,  and  the  convoy  came  quietly  to 
anchor  at  dusk  in  Sebra  Bay  within  sight  of  the  city. 

Like  all  of  the  semi-Oriental  cities  on  the  North 
African  coast,  Bizerta  is  truly  attractive,  but  open  to 
criticism  from  those  unaccustomed  to  the  more  or  less 
tarnished  beauty  of  cities  of  its  class.  It  is  quite  pic- 
turesque, if  not  indeed  quaintly  beautiful,  when  viewed 
from  afar;  but  its  many  interesting  features  soon  become 
submerged  in  coats  of  grime  and  airs  surcharged  with 
strangely  pungent  odors  when  contemplated  from  one 
of  the  balconies  of  its  numerous  cafes. 

Liberty  parties  from  vessels  of  war  have  a  peculiar 
faculty  of  sizing  up  the  interesting  features  of  any  port 
of  visit,  and  while  the  viewpoint  of  criticism  begins  at 
the  cafes  and  ends  there,  they  are  usually  not  far  wrong 
in  the  general  estimate  of  the  place  as  a  liberty  port 
worth  having.  At  the  Cafe  Boulevard,  of  the  Grand 
Hotel,  for  instance — not  at  all  a  bad  one,  by  the  way — 
there  were  many  beautiful  women,  French,  Arabian,  and 
a  mixture  of  both.  Their  cordiality  was  very  marked, 
for  they  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  to  be  hospitable 
to  " les  jolts  Americains"  who  had  so  unselfishly  come 
over  the  seas  to  the  assistance  of  stricken  France.  But 
there  the  value  of  Bizerta  ended,  in  so  far  as  the 
Venetias  jackies  were  concerned,  for,  on  the  following 
day,  when  she  headed  a  convoy  of  eight  ships  for  a 
return  to  Gibraltar,  their  impression  of  their  first  real 
business  port  of  entry  was  quite  eloquently  expressed 
in  ten  words  of  unqualified  disgust,  which  was  repeated 
by  nearly  all  of  them: 

[107] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


"Not  a  drop  of  bourbon  or  rye  in  the  place!" 

In  contrast  with  the  menial  duty  of  towing  vessels 
that  refused  to  be  towed,  without  some  show  of  protest 
or  inefficient  handling  and  officering,  convoying  loomed 
up  in  the  minds  of  the  California  ship's  company  as 
being  positively  the  best  "job"  to  which  she  could  pos- 
sibly have  been  assigned.  The  many  hazards  in  connec- 
tion with  it  made  it  all  the  more  exciting  to  the  gallant 
Westerners  from  shores  that  had  never  resounded  with 
the  roars  of  modern  battle,  and  every  nerve  was  strained 
in  hopeful  anticipation  of  the  first  real  "honest-to- 
goodness  scrap." 

Skipper  Porterfield  had  proved  himself  a  most  capable 
officer  and  promising  strategist  in  peaceful  waters,  but 
here,  in  the  very  center  of  a  mighty  circle  from  which 
radiated  hundreds  of  binoculared  visions  toward 
danger's  horizon,  he  became  a  very  glutton  for  work, 
activity,  and  never-ending  precaution.  Watches  were 
doubled,  and  it  was  now  "watch  on  and  watch  off," 
meaning  that  they  followed  each  other  in  such  rapid 
succession  that  there  was  little  hope  of  continued  rest 
for  anyone.  So  the  unfortunate  "Venetian"  who  could 
not  drop  off  into  peaceful  slumber  as  soon  as  his  head 
touched  his  pillow  was  likely  to  toss  about  for  a  while, 
close  his  eyes,  and  then  be  tumbled  out  to  find  that  he 
had  not  really  been  asleep  at  all.  But  this  was  war:  war 
was  the  only  purpose  for  which  he  had  enlisted,  and  it 
has  not  been  established,  either  by  inference  or  written 
word,  that  any  one  of  the  Venetias  boys  ever  yet  com- 
plained, excepting  only  when  the  enemy  insisted  upon 
keeping  too  discreetly  aloof. 

This  it  certainly  did  on  the  return  to  Gibraltar,  for 
not  even  a  floating  barrel,  piece  of  wreckage,  or  a  suspi- 
cious-looking upturned  boat  appeared  to  break  the 

[108] 


ENTERING   BIZERTA 


BIZERTA  S  RESTFUL  POPULATION 


REAL    SERVICE    AT    LAST 


monotony  of  an  amicably  heaving  sea.  The  skipper, 
however,  seemed  anxious  always,  and  was  particularly 
irate  at  the  poor  station  (place  in  line),  which  appeared 
to  be  almost  continuously  persisted  in  by  the  command- 
ers of  the  vessels  composing  the  convoy.  Perhaps  they 
were  more  or  less  inexperienced  in  navigating  where 
they  could  not  see  that  ten  feet  ahead  (once  referred  to 
by  ex-Navigator  Krebs),  or  the  ever-present  danger  of  a 
deadly  thrust  from  beyond  the  darkness  had  made  them 
converts  to  the  theory  of  self-protection  first,  then 
obedience  to  orders. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  entire  seven  ships  were  spreading 
apart  at  nightfall,  not  one  was  to  be  seen  at  daylight, 
and  the  Venetia  was  selected  to  be  the  faithful  collie, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  circle  the  horizon  in  search  of  them 
and  bark  them  back  again  into  a  visible  and  orderly 
flock.  This  small  convoy  of  seven  ships  had  caused  more 
anxiety  than  had  the  first  large  one  of  twenty-seven,  and 
all  hands  on  board  heaved  sighs  of  relief  when,  after  the 
usual  three  days  allotted  for  the  run,  Gibraltar  was 
reached,  there  was  a  line  of  liberty  men  in  front  of  the 
"Exec's"  office,  and  the  skipper  went  ashore  with  his 
officer  of  communications  for  conference  with  the  com- 
manders of  the  ships  that  were  to  compose  the  next 
convoy  to  the  eastward. 

These  conferences  were  always  held  prior  to  the  de- 
parture of  a  convoy,  so  that  there  might  be  definite 
understandings  between  the  commanders  of  convoying 
warships  and  those  of  the  merchantmen  as  to  courses, 
regulations,  signals,  and  general  control,  which  is  always 
directed  from  what  may  be  called  the  flagship  of  the 
convoy.  The  most  stringent  regulation  was  to  the  effect 
that,  following  a  conference,  the  commanders  of  mer- 
chantmen must  return  at  once  to  their  ships  and  not  be 

[109] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


permitted  ashore  again  before  the  departure  of  the  con- 
voy. This  was  a  necessary  precaution  taken  to  avert 
the  possibility  that  one  of  the  commanders  might 
inadvertently  divulge  the  convoy's  sailing  time  and 
destination. 

The  Gibraltar  conferences  were  held  in  the  dockyard 
schoolhouse,  immediately  adjoining  the  headquarters 
of  the  British  governor,  Admiral  Sir  Rupert  Miles. 
After  the  various  commanders  had  assembled,  they 
were  first  instructed  as  to  the  main  points  of  routine  by 
the  junior  convoy  officer  (a  British  lieutenant),  and 
then,  after  being  addressed  at  what  would  appear  to  be 
much  too  much  length  by  the  admiral  and  senior  officer 
of  the  escort,  the  several  merchant  skippers  were  sent  to 
their  ships  under  surveillance,  while  the  naval  officers, 
to  whom  the  same  stringent  rule  did  not  apply,  repaired 
to  their  respective  commands,  the  cafes,  or  the  clubs — 
perhaps  a  little  oftener  the  latter. 


[no] 


CHAPTER  XIX 


VARIABLE    EXPERIENCES 

EVENTLESS    CONVOYING    BECOMES   MONOTONOUS  — A   GAME    OF    BASE- 
BALL—TRANSFER OF  ENSIGN  "NICK"— LOSING  A  CONVOY. 

HOSE  were  busy  but  uneventful  days, 
and  every  member  of  the  ship's  com- 
pany awoke  from  a  sort  of  mental  lassi- 
tude and  enthused  again,  when,  after 
^^^^  the  usual  expensive  and  now  rather  flat 
week-end  at  Gibraltar,  Europa  Point 
was  again  rounded,  a  convoy  of  twenty  ships  was 
formed,  and  a  course  made  under  the  shadow  of  the 
mighty  rock  to  the  eastward.  There  were  three  of  these 
convoying  trips  made  between  Bizerta  and  Gibraltar, 
with  very  brief  stops  at  either,  and  yet  each  time  one  of 
the  ports  was  cleared  rumors  were  in  circulation  to  the 
effect  that  the  Austrians  had  become  busier  than  ever 
with  their  divers,  in  addition  to  those  of  the  Hun  ally, 
and  this  time  one  would  surely  be  bagged.  As  many 
times  were  the  battle-hungry  "Venetians"  disappointed, 
however,  for  not  once  during  these  three  "forward  and 
back"  voyages — some  impolitely  called  them  ferry 
trips — had  a  single  incident  occurred  to  disturb  their 
monotony.  There  was  never  a  floating  object  that  might 
have  been  taken,  or  mistaken,  for  the  ambush  of  a 
periscope,  nor  any  craft  save  those  in  the  convoy  to 

[in] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


remind  one  that  there  was  a  war  anywhere.  Even  they 
seemed  innocent  enough,  except  for  the  armed  craft 
that  kept  watch  over  them  day  and  night. 

On  one  of  these  trips,  however — mentioned  in  the 
ship's  log  as  of  date  March  23rd,  during  the  morning 
watch — there  occurred  one  of  those  false  alarms,  un- 
avoidable always,  because  it  is  never  known  what  a 
floating  object  might  not  have  concealed  behind  it,  and 
to  pass  it  by  unnoticed  might  bring  confusion,  disaster, 
and  death.  To  the  credit  of  the  regularly  manned  and 
officered  vessels  of  the  naval  force,  it  may  be  said  paren- 
thetically that  in  a  convoy  most  of  these  false  alarms 
have  come  from  the  convoyed  vessels  themselves,  and 
so  it  happened  on  the  occasion  referred  to. 

The  present  squadron  was  moving  quietly  to  the  east- 
ward in  good  formation  at  a  speed  of  five  knots  per 
hour,  when  suddenly  the  sharp  bark  of  a  four-inch  gun 
disturbed  the  silence  of  the  gathering  sunrise.  All  look- 
outs detected  the  smoke  of  a  steamer  whose  hull  seemed 
just  rising  above  the  horizon,  and  apparently  making 
for  the  convoy  at  full  speed.  It  was  probably  this  target 
at  which  the  shot  had  been  fired  from  the  merchantman 
Moulin  Blanc,  and  it  was  closely  followed  by  two  from 
another  freighter,  Zamora,  as  well  as  others  from  what 
were  known  as  the  civilians  of  the  convoy. 

"General  quarters"  was  at  once  sounded  aboard  the 
Venetia  and  a  broadcast  wireless  message  dispatched  to 
Bizerta,  which  at  the  time  was  almost  within  sighting 
distance.  All  hands  were  gloriously  elated  because  the 
long-expected  engagement  had  come  at  last,  and  the 
untried  tenderfoot  was  to  have  his  first  opportunity  for 
proving  to  the  strutting  old-timer  that  he  could  look  into 
the  smoke  of  exploding  enemy  shells  without  a  tremor 
in  his  unscarred  frame. 


DISTANT  VIEW  OF  CONVOY 


THE  WATCHFUL  EYE  ABOVE 


VARIABLE     EXPERIENCES 


It  began  to  look  like  business  indeed  when  the  firing 
continued  and  three  armed  hydroplanes,  followed  by 
two  dirigibles,  appeared  from  the  direction  of  Bizerta 
and  began  to  circle  about  the  convoy.  But  the  firing 
ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  begun;  the  aircraft  turned 
tail  and  hurried  back  to  port,  and  then  the  radio  sparks 
hissed  out  the  somewhat  ludicrous  intelligence  that, 
upon  investigation,  the  supposed  enemy  submarine  had 
turned  out  to  be  an  upturned  boat  floating  innocently 
upon  the  sunlit  waters! 

A  similar  incident  occurred  on  the  day  after  a  new 
convoy  was  formed  in  Bizerta  to  be  taken  to  Gibraltar. 
A  shot  was  heard  and  the  radios  gave  warning  of  the 
picking  up  of  a  "suspicious  object."  "General  quarters" 
was  again  sounded  and  every  man  jack  of  the  Venetias 
crew  was  at  his  post,  feeling  that  this  time  his  oppor- 
tunity for  "distinguished  and  unusual  service"  had 
really  come,  when  the  radioman  on  watch  was  directed 
to  spread  it  broadcast  that  the  said  suspicious  object 
was  merely  a  piece  of  wreckage.  It  was  not  difficult  to 
understand,  however,  that  anxious  lookouts  might 
easily  have  made  the  mistake,  for  it  turned  out  to  be  a 
small  deckhouse,  evidently  from  some  torpedoed  vessel, 
with  a  protruding  ventilator  or  piece  of  pipe,  which 
obviously  had  been  mistaken  for  a  periscope. 

Captain  Porterfield,  however,  with  the  double  object 
of  not  entirely  disappointing  his  crew  and  at  the  same 
time  anxious  to  see  how  effectively  the  hitherto  un- 
reliable gun  Number  One  might  be  expected  to  respond 
when  called  upon,  ordered  a  shot  to  be  taken  at  the  now 
no  longer  suspicious  object.  "Ready  when  wanted,  after 
all,"  he  laughed,  as  the  projectile  tore  through  the 
target  eight  hundred  yards  away,  making  considerably 
more  of  a  wreck  of  it.  These  two  incidents  are  mentioned 

["3] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


for  the  reason  that  they  supplied  the  only  excitement  of 
several  "ferriages"  between  Gibraltar  and  Bizerta,  and 
then  again,  when  war  is  so  full  of  harrowing  details, 
why  should  not  the  humor  of  it  be  recorded  as  well  ? 

On  the  i4th  of  April  at  Gibraltar  there  was  made  one 
of  those  official  transfers  which  almost  invariably  come 
without  warning,  and  generally  for  no  very  obvious 
reason.  Ensign  D.  V.  Nicolini  was  transferred  to  U.  S.  S. 
Surveyor,  and  Lieutenant  Conrad  T.  Bussell  reported  on 
board  as  navigating  officer. 

The  mists  that  come  of  tears  were  in  "Nick's"  eyes  as 
he  bade  all  hands  good-bye,  from  forecastle  to  quarter- 
deck, and  passed  down  the  gangplank  to  the  mole  where 
the  Venetia  was  moored.  He  had  been  her  first  officer  for 
five  years  during  her  yachting  days;  had  exerted  con- 
siderable influence  after  enlistment  to  be  assigned  to 
her,  in  the  hope  of  being  on  her  roster  of  officers  until 
her  war  career  had  ended.  But  the  needs  of  the  service 
are  inexorable.  The  Venetia  needed  an  expert  navigator; 
someone  with  considerable  sea  experience  was  required 
on  board  of  the  Survey  or  \  Captain  Porterfield  selected 
Nicolini  as  being  the  best  man  he  could  spare,  and  so  he 
passed  away  to  a  stranger  ship. 

In  Lieutenant  Bussell  the  exacting  skipper  found  just 
the  type  of  navigator  he  had  so  long  been  searching  for, 
and  he  remained  in  that  most  important  of  all  the  "jobs" 
aboard  ship  until  the  Venetia  s  final  retirement  from 
belligerent  service.  A  brief  resume  of  his  life  and  busy 
career  is  here  given  in  his  own  breezy  style: 

"By  far  the  biggest  event  in  my  life  took  place  on 
May  15,  1891,  when  I  entered  this  vale  of  tears  and 
gladness  at  a  point  known  as  Irvington,  Virginia,  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  Heaven.  I  took  the  usual  course  of 
kindergarten,  and  from  there  in  gradual  stages  occupied 


VARIABLE       EXPERIENCES 


various  forms  and  benches  until  I  reached  the  Randolph- 
Macon  Academy  at  Bedford  City,  Virginia.  Here  my 
lifelong  streak  of  good  luck  permitted  me  to  get  on  the 
right  side  of  the  'profs'  and  the  wrong  side  of  their 
demerit  system.  However,  they  let  me  lead  the  class  that 
first  year,  but  during  the  second  I  played  football,  so, 
of  course,  was  too  busy  to  fool  away  time  with  such  ex- 
acting people  as  'profs.'  Two  years  at  the  University 
of  Virginia  followed,  and  I  then  entered  the  Coast  and 
Geodetic  Survey,  where,  in  some  strange  way  or  other, 
I  managed  to  receive  a  commission  as  junior  hydro- 
graphic  and  geodetic  engineer  from  no  less  a  person  than 
President  Wilson  himself. 

"Made  a  cruise  on  the  Atlantic  coast  correcting  gov- 
ernment charts,  two  voyages  to  Alaska;  and  at  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities  found  myself  on  the  Surveyor,  a 
vessel  built  for  Alaskan  waters  but  now  ordered  to 
European  waters,  via  Bermuda  and  the  Azores,  with 
submarine  chasers  in  tow,  then  took  a  couple  of  Ameri- 
can 'subs'  to  Bantry,  Ireland.  Our  first  convoy  was  from 
Pembroke,  Wales,  to  'Gib'  with  thirty-two  ships  and  no 
other  escort,  and  then  came  a  bunch  of  Mediterranean 
convoys  until  I  was  ordered  to  the  Venetia,  April  13, 
1918. 

"Any  attempt  to  preserve  the  memory  of  the  joys 
and  sorrows,  the  bits  of  pathos  and  humor,  the  thrills 
and  monotonies,  and  the  thousand  other  little  details 
which  make  up  the  lives  of  officers  and  crew  on  such  a 
cruise  as  the  Venetia  took  during  the  big  scrap  will 
surely  receive  all  the  help  I  can  give  it.  Certain  I  am 
that  her  history  will  never  be  forgotten  as  long  as  a 
single  man  in  her  jovial  ship's  company  is  alive." 

The  next  day,  there  came  an  order  that  was  intensely 
pleasing  to  both  officers  and  enlisted  men,  but  one  of 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


much  concern  and  a  more  or  less  humiliating  surprise  to 
the  ship's  athletic  officer.  This  was  to  the  effect  that  a 
game  of  baseball  had  been  scheduled  by  the  Base  Ath- 
letic Committee  between  U.  S.  S.  Venetia  and  U.  S.  S. 
Castine,  to  be  played  on  the  afternoon  of  April  16, 
without  further  notice.  The  result  of  this  order,  showing 
as  it  does  how  even  pleasurable  emergencies  can  be 
successfully  met  when  the  official  in  charge  "doesn't  lay 
down  on  his  job,"  can  best  be  given  in  the  words  of 
Ensign  Howard,  who  had  been  appointed  the  ship's 
athletic  officer,  but,  in  the  rush  of  more  technical  duties, 
had  apparently  forgotten  all  about  it. 

"The  order  came  to  me  like  a  bolt  out  of  a  clear  sky," 
says  the  athletic-appearing  young  officer  from  Los 
Angeles.  "Of  course,  I  knew  something  about  baseball, 
and  felt  myself  entirely  qualified  when  I  accepted  the 
appointment  of  ship's  athletic  officer.  But  I  had  been 
too  busy  in  learning  how  to  be  a  fighting  naval  unit,  and 
hadn't  even  gone  into  the  matter  of  organizing  a  team. 
We  had  no  baseball  equipment  whatever,  the  boys  who 
could  play  the  game  had  had  no  practice,  and  it  looked 
as  though  we  were  fated  to  make  a  sorry  showing 
against  the  team  from  the  Castine,  which  had  already 
created  something  of  a  reputation  in  contests  with 
other  ships,  and  finally  ended  by  winning  the  base  pen- 
nant. But  'orders  is  orders,'  as  the  saying  goes,  so  I  went 
about  the  crew  in  search  of  baseball  material,  and 
fortunately  unearthed  a  number  of  'records.'  Of  course 
team-work  was  impossible,  but  the  material  looked 
promising  enough,  so  we  prepared  for  the  battle  on  the 
basis  that  there's  nothing  to  be  lost  in  trying  any  old 
thing  once. 

"The  Venetia  team  duly  appeared  at  the  appointed 
time,  in  only  white  trousers,  undershirts,  and  navy 


BASEBALL  AT  GIBRALTAR 


THE  MANLY  ART  OF  SELF-DEFENSE 


VARIABLE     EXPERIENCES 


shoes,  while  the  Castine  boys  were  arrayed  in  full  dia- 
mond uniforms,  spiked  shoes — everything.  Sure  enough, 
that  game  was  'some  surprise  party,'  for  we  caught  the 
Castine  team  on  what  must  have  been  an  off  day,  and 
beat  them  by  the  respectable  but  nerve-racking  score 
of  12  to  ii." 

Three  days  later,  on  April  19,  before  sunrise,  the  start 
was  made  for  the  fourth  trip  to  Bizerta,  with  a  small 
convoy  of  nine  ships  and  seven  escort  vessels,  the  Venetia 
as  usual  being  in  the  leading  port  position.  This  date  is 
most  memorable  in  the  recollections  of  those  who  com- 
posed the  ship's  company  of  the  Venetia^  in  that  it  marks 
her  departure  on  that  cruise  during  which  she  was  first 
in  positive  action,  and  proved  that  the  predictions  made 
of  her  reliability  whenever  called  upon  to  strike  at  an 
enemy,  or  to  resist  one,  had  been  fully  justified. 

The  formation  of  this  convoy — the  first  one  to  be 
attacked  since  the  ship  had  been  engaged  in  the  service — 
is  given  in  chart  form,  so  that  the  reader  may  be  able 
to  gather  from  it  some  idea  of  the  positions  of  the 
several  vessels  when  the  alarm  came.  As  has  been  said, 
the  convoy  was  a  small  one,  consisting  of  nine  mer- 
chant vessels  in  addition  to  the  seven  protectors,  and 
the  former  were  distinguished  by  two-letter  flags  from 
the  international  signal  code,  flying  from  the  most  con- 
spicuous place  in  the  rigging. 

The  convoy  proceeded  on  the  same  course  as  hereto- 
fore toward  Bizerta,  at  a  speed  of  seven  knots,  the 
Venetia  zigzagging  outward  for  observation  and  inward 
again  to  keep  her  division  in  formation.  This  was  no 
easy  matter,  for  the  squadron  of  princely  cargoed  mer- 
chantmen, although  every  one  of  them  was  heavily 
armed,  seemed  continually  wandering  from  its  course. 
Each  of  the  commanders  apparently  felt  himself  the 


IT 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


best  judge  of  how  to  avoid  danger,  and  hurried  away  on 
his  own  responsibility,  for  all  the  world  like  a  chick  in  a 
brood  frightened  by  a  hawk.  It  seemed  to  make  no  dif- 
ference whatever  that  there  were  four  pugnacious 
mothers  whose  business  it  was  to  fly  to  their  defense  on 
the  approach  of  an  enemy. 


\^  . 

H.  M    S.  VALIANT 


i-gf  . 

H.  M.  S.  HELIOTROPE 


FRENCH 
TRAWLER 


-Jig*-,      -iigt^ 


_lo^^        _l*gr$^         -Jig?-, 


U.  S.  S.  VENETIA 


U    S.  S.  PADUCAH 


CONVOY  FORMATION 


On  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  urged,  in  defense  of  the 
several  anxious  navigators,  that  security  of  attack  from 
an  enemy  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  danger 
of  collision  among  themselves,  steaming,  as  they  were 
compelled  to  do,  in  the  dark,  with  nothing  to  guide  them 
but  the  faint  throbbing  of  near-by  propellers.  But  even 
this  is  a  guide  of  almost  negligible  value,  for  the  pro- 

Fill] 


VARIABLE    EXPERIENCES 


pellers  of  heavily  laden  ships  are  generally  too  deep  in 
the  water  to  emit  any  sound.  At  all  events,  whatever 
the  cause,  there  were  several  mornings  on  this  Gibraltar- 
Bizerta  run  when  not  a  single  vessel  was  in  sight  of  any 
other  in  the  convoy. 

Moreover,  it  is  only  just  to  say  in  addition  that  the 
merchantmen  were  not  always  alone  to  blame  for  these 
records  of  "ships  in  poor  station."  Sometimes  the  guard- 
ships  themselves  made  poor  guesses  as  to  their  positions, 
and  lost  the  convoy  altogether,  an  unpardonable 
offense  in  the  opinion  of  their  commanders,  but  an 
unavoidable  misfortune  in  the  belief  of  the  offending 
navigators. 

On  one  occasion  the  Venetia  found  herself  in  this 
somewhat  humiliating  position,  following  a  night  of 
unusual  darkness.  When  day  dawned,  to  his  dismay  the 
officer  in  charge  of  the  morning  watch  discovered  that 
the  convoy  was  nowhere  in  sight — not  even  a  wreath 
of  smoke  being  anywhere  visible.  Captain  Porterfield 
appeared  from  below  and  hurried  up  the  companionway 
ladder  to  the  bridge  at  least  two  steps  at  a  time. 

"Where's  the  convoy?"  he  asked,  with  clenched 
teeth  and  his  flashing  blue  eyes  illy  concealing  a  threat- 
ening explosion  of  fury. 

"I  don't  know,  sir,"  was  the  nervous  and  somewhat 
guiltily  delivered  reply.  "We  seem  to  have  lost  it." 

"Lost  it?  Lost  it!"  exploded  the  fury  after  a  briefly 
impolite  preamble.  "You  haven't  any  excuse  whatever 
for  losing  that  convoy,  the  port  bow  of  which  we  are 
entirely  responsible  for." 

"Yes,  sir."  This  said  in  abashed  acknowledgment  of 
the  rebuke. 

"How  do  you  know  that  every  ship  of  our  division  is 
not  being  torpedoed  at  this  very  moment?" 

["9] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


"I  think  we'd  be  sure  to  know  if  they  were,  sir." 

"You've  no  right  to  think  anything  but  that  it  was 
your  duty  to  keep  your  ship  in  station,  and  you  haven't 
done  it!" 

"I  think  I  can  make  out  the  tail  end  of  it  now,  sir," 
replied  the  lieutenant,  with  the  marine-glass  at  his  eyes. 

"It's  at  the  port  bow  of  the  convoy  we  belong,  not  the 
tail  end.  See  that  you  get  there!" 

"Very  well,  sir!"  And  the  lieutenant  signaled  "full 
speed  ahead"  to  the  engine-room. 

The  approximate  position  of  the  lost  convoy  was 
known,  of  course,  and  it  was  soon  made  out  and  re- 
joined. But  who  would  be  prepared  to  deny  that  the 
"bawling  out"  received  by  a  certain  watch  officer  that 
morning,  while  it  was  not  altogether  without  its  amusing 
features,  must  ever  cling  to  his  memory  as  having  been 
one  of  the  most  distressing  incidents  of  his  naval  career  ? 


[120] 


From  a  Painting  hi  C.  D.  Rabins 


LYING  IN  WAIT 


CHAPTER  XX 


THE    FIRST   ENCOUNTER 

THE  UNFORGETABLE  APRIL  22ND— NAVIGATION  BY  MOONLIGHT  OR 
IN  DARKNESS  EQUALLY  DANGEROUS  — DISCUSSING  THE  FIRST 
BATTLE  — A  DAY  OF  TARGET  PRACTICE  —  ANOTHER  ELUSIVE 
SUBMARINE. 

E  night  of  April  21,  and  the  first  hours 
of  the  early  mornjng  of  April  22,  were 
especially  calm  and  beautiful,  and  the 
convoy  proceeded  slowly  under  the  light 
of  a  gorgeous  moon,  with  almost  every 
ship  plainly  visible.  Suddenly,  at  12:50 
A.M.  Lieutenant  Armstrong,  who  was  senior  officer  of 
the  watch  at  the  time,  heard  a  loud  explosion  on  the 
starboard  quarter,  then  saw  a  huge  volume  of  smoke 
and  steam  shoot  into  the  air,  this  being  followed  by 
rapid  gunfire  from  many  vessels. 

The  "general-quarters"  alarm  was  immediately 
sounded,  and  soon  every  man  aboard  was  at  his  station 
ready  to  strike  his  blow  of  revenge  and  greatly  relieved 
to  feel  that  the  first  real  engagement  had  actually  begun. 
Gunner  Jacobus  instinctively  knew  that  the  depth 
charges  would  be  the  first  weapons  of  offense  to  be  used, 
and  in  considerably  less  time  than  is  consumed  in  the 
recording  of  it  had  his  men  ready  and  waiting  nervously 
at  the  launching  gears. 

Cm] 


I 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


J 


Busy  yeomen  began  to  bring  messages  from  the  radio- 
room,  and  it  was  then  learned  that  the  British  steamship 
Dronning  Maud  had  been  torpedoed  and  was  in  a  sinking 
condition.  Depth  charges  were  again  carefully  inspected 
to  make  sure  that  the  "pistols"  were  properly  set  for  the 
depths  required,  while  the  gun  crews  were  waiting  on 
station  ready  to  discharge  their  piercing  projectiles  at 
the  word  of  command. 

One  depth  charge  was  launched  on  the  starboard  side 
of  the  convoy — that  being  the  calculated  location  of  the 
submarine  that  had  done  the  mischief — but  no  resultant 
upheaval  of  wreckage  was  seen,  to  the  utter  disgust  not 
only  of  the  now  thoroughly  excited  Gunner  Jacobus  but 
the  entire  company  of  the  ship. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  reader  who  may  not  have  be- 
come informed  as  to  the  purpose  and  construction  of  the 
depth-charge  "pistols" — which  are  the  detonators  of  the 
three  hundred  pounds  of  T.  N.  T.  in  the  big  steel  cylin- 
ders—  a  brief  description  is  here  given  of  these  ingenious 
appliances,  which  bear  no  resemblance  to  the  weapon 
from  which  they  take  their  name.  The  "pistol"  is  a  steel 
cylinder,  approximately  twelve  inches  long  and  five 
inches  in  diameter,  and  containing  a  pound  of  gun- 
cotton,  with  a  detonating  primer.  This  is  inserted  into 
one  end  of  the  larger  cylinder,  and  when  launched  the 
pressure  of  the  water  upon  a  valvular  mechanism  of 
delicate  construction  discharges  the  primer  when  the 
required  depth  is  reached,  and  this  in  turn  explodes  the 
main  charge.  The  explosive  power  is  effective  within  a 
radius  of  approximately  one  hundred  yards,  and  the 
pistol  must  be  timed  with  great  care  or  the  stern  might 
easily  be  blown  off  of  the  vessel  from  which  it  is  launched. 

The  Venetia  held  a  position  outside  of  the  convoy, 
while  H.  M.  S.  Heliotrope  and  U.  S.  S.  Paducah  stood  in 

[122] 


THE    FIRST    ENCOUNTER 


the  direction  of  the  sinking  ship,  which  went  down  amid 
smoke  and  flames  at  1:02  o'clock,  in  only  a  trifle  over 
twelve  minutes  after  having  been  struck.  Fifty  minutes 
later  the  squadron  was  again  in  station,  minus  the  luck- 
less Dronning  Maudy  and  course  was  resumed  toward 
near-by  Bizerta. 

During  the  early  morning  hours  information  came  by 
radio  that  the  two  other  vessels  of  the  lost  ship's  division 
had  fortunately  fallen  far  behind  the  convoy  or  there 
might  easily  have  been  another  similar  calamity.  It  was 
also  learned  that  the  leading  trawlers  had  saved  the 
entire  crew  of  the  Dronning  Maud,  with  the  exception 
of  one  fireman,  who  was  probably  killed  by  the  explo- 
sion, the  torpedo  having  struck  abreast  of  the  engine 
space. 

The  Venetia  on  her  course  passed  through  the  wreck- 
age of  the  unfortunate  Britisher,  and  when  the  moon 
went  down  upon  the  first  taste  of  real  war  that  had 
stirred  the  souls  of  her  gallant  company  of  patriotic 
Californians,  one  of  them  somewhat  impiously  re- 
marked: 

"Some  Sunday  morning  picnic!" 

On  approaching  Bizerta  a  large  fleet  of  destroyers  and 
trawlers  came  out  to  meet  the  squadron,  partly,  no 
doubt,  to  escort  it  into  port,  but  primarily  to  note  what 
damage  had  been  done  and  get  radio  "close-ups"  of  the 
morning's  excitement. 

During  the  stay  of  one  day  in  Bizerta,  while  a  new 
convoy  was  being  formed,  and  directions  for  the  coming 
Gibraltar  run  were  arrived  at  through  conference  be- 
tween the  commanders  ashore,  the  Venetias  company 
killed  time  by  exchanging  yarns  as  to  the  happenings  of 
the  night  before.  Nearly  every  member  of  it  set  forth  in 
more  or  less  violent  verbiage  how  he  felt  under  fire, 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


what  he  would  have  done  in  a  hand-to-hand  combat 
with  a  Hun  sailor  on  a  U-boat's  deck,  and  all  of  them 
had  decided  precisely  what  to  do  and  how  to  feel  on  the 
next  approach  of  a  submarine,  or  following  the  un- 
announced explosion  of  a  torpedo. 

It  was  generally  conceded,  however,  that  no  proper 
naval  engagement  could  be  fought  in  the  darkness.  Not 
only  had  it  been  demonstrated  by  the  first  experience 
that  an  engagement  under  those  circumstances  affords 
but  small  opportunity  for  sightseeing  and  the  snapping 
of  kodak  pictures,  but  it  reduces  the  proper  manage- 
ment of  the  ships  engaged  almost  to  the  zero  point,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  lack  of  opportunity  for  the  men 
to  serve  properly  the  several  implements  of  warfare  to 
which  their  duties  assign  them,  or,  in  other  words,  be 
"on  their  loco." 

On  the  following  morning  an  early  start  to  the  west- 
ward was  made  with  a  convoy  of  nine  ships.  The  number 
of  escorting  vessels  was  increased  by  the  addition  of 
H.  M.  S.  Perdita^  with  the  Venetia  in  her  now  familiar 
station  on  the  port  bow.  The  run  to  Gibraltar  was  made 
under  fair  speed,  but  the  dazzling  moonlight  of  the 
nights,  while  making  navigation  and  the  preservation  of 
regular  formation  comparatively  simple  matters,  caused 
ever  a  keen  sense  of  insecurity.  Every  vessel  in  the 
convoy  must  now  prove  an  easier  mark  for  those  silent, 
sneaking  murderers  of  the  deep,  whose  periscopes  it 
would  be  next  to  impossible  to  detect  except  when 
appearing  close  aboard  under  the  strong  rays  of  the 
searchlights.  The  first  surprise  had  already  fatefully 
verified  the  danger  of  moonlight  runs,  so  no  careful  vigil 
was  for  a  single  moment  relaxed,  until  Gibraltar  was 
made  again.  Then,  as  a  matter  of  course,  everyone 
aboard  the  convoying  vessels  had  something  exciting  to 


THE    FIRST    ENCOUNTER 


relate  during  liberty  ashore,  albeit  with  surprising  vari- 
ations as  to  details,  and  but  trifling  attention  paid  to 
strict  accuracy. 

Captain  Porterfield  had  again  made  up  his  mind  that 
neither  his  armament  nor  the  crews  that  handled  it  had 
quite  reached  that  degree  of  proficiency  he  had  been 
struggling  for,  so,  after  a  Sunday  spent  in  gun-sighting 
drill,  the  ship  proceeded  out  to  the  Atlantic  beyond 
Europa  Point  for  target  practice,  a  Canadian  drifter 
having  kindly  consented  (under  orders)  to  tow  a  target 
out  to  sea. 

The  behavior  of  gun  Number  One  again  demonstrated 
that,  as  expressed  by  one  of  the  gunners,  "For  the  future 
One  is  my  unlucky  number  and  not  Thirteen."  On  the 
first  attempt  at  firing  it,  a  cartridge-case  exploded  in  the 
chamber  and  jammed  fast,  putting  it  out  of  business, 
temporarily  at  least.  The  other  guns  did  better,  but  not 
sufficiently  so  to  please  the  skipper,  who  with  critical 
wrath  assured  the  several  crews  that: 

"You  men  might  have  hit  a  submarine  if  she  hap- 
pened to  be  within  ramming  distance,  but  you  wouldn't 
have  come  within  fifteen  feet  of  her  periscope,  and  that's 
her  heart's  blood!" 

Better  results  were  obtained,  however,  by  the  watch 
officers  in  automatic-pistol  practice  with  floating  cracker 
cans  for  targets,  but  the  exhibition  given  by  the  men  in 
charge  of  the  machine-guns  evoked  a  scornful  laugh 
from  the  skipper.  He  declared  with  characteristic 
emphasis  that  a  few  automatics  in  capable  hands,  or 
even  an  encounter  with  bare  knuckles,  would  be  quite  as 
effective  man-killers  in  close  quarters  with  a  submarine 
on  the  surface.  In  the  opinion  of  those  most  intimately 
concerned  with  the  operation  of  the  guns,  however,  a 
submarine  would  certainly  have  been  struck,  if  not 


I 

Iji 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


sunk,  by  the  three-inch  guns,  and  there  would  have  been 
few  Germans  on  its  deck  who  would  not  have  been  "shot 
full  of  holes."  There  also  existed  an  impression  to  the 
effect  that  the  skipper's  remarks,  plentifully  tinctured 
as  they  were  with  the  usual  exaggerations  of  official 
displeasure,  were  a  wise  forerunner  of  what  might  be 
expected  in  the  future  if  greater  care  were  not  shown  in 
respect  to  marksmanship. 

The  return  to  Bizerta  for  the  fifth  time  with  a  convoy 
of  fourteen  vessels,  all  told,  was  both  wearing  and  dis- 
couraging, on  account  of  the  extreme  darkness  of  the 
nights.  Some  impression  of  the  inky  blackness  may  be 
formed  when  it  is  said  that  the  anxious  watchers  on  the 
bridge  could  not  see  farther  than  perhaps  a  hundred  feet 
ahead  of  the  bow,  and  the  anxiety  became  all  the  keener 
for  the  reason  that  the  Venetia  held  what  was  known  as 
the  "fighting  station"  astern  of  the  convoy,  and  would 
be  held  responsible  for  any  approach  of  an  enemy  from 
that  direction.  Correct  navigation  under  such  circum- 
stances, without  even  stars  for  guides,  was  almost  out  of 
the  question,  and  now  and  then  it  was  held  to  be  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  the  merchantmen  to  hang  dim 
lanterns  over  their  sterns  for  short  periods,  although,  of 
course,  it  was  more  or  less  courting  danger.  Under  such 
baffing  circumstances  all  the  ships  kept  "poor  station," 
for  there  was  scarcely  any  time  at  daybreak  when  more 
than  three  of  the  convoy  were  in  sight,  and  occasionally 
there  was  none  at  all. 

Fortunately,  the  return  trip  from  Bizerta  was  begun 
under  less  distressing  conditions,  for  the  weather  was 
clear,  a  brisk  breeze  from  the  north  cooled  the  hot  whiffs 
from  the  African  coast,  and  the  nights  were  as  bright  as 
should  reasonably  be  expected  of  them,  divested,  as  they 
were,  of  the  light  of  la  bianca  luna. 


THE    FIRST    ENCOUNTER 


Rumors  had  been  circulated  that  a  dirigible  ar- 
riving on  the  morning  of  the  Fenetias  departure  had 
reported  submarines  at  several  places  along  the  line  of 
this  convoy  route,  and  that  a  British  steamer  had  been 
torpedoed,  with  the  loss  of  many  lives.  Naturally  then, 
everyone  was  again  on  the  qui  vive  and  smarting  for 
another  "scrap,"  which — in  a  diluted  form,  however — 
came  very  soon. 

At  5:03  on  that  afternoon,  with  the  small  convoy  of 
only  six  merchantmen,  and  more  than  that  number  of 
scouts  and  guard- vessels  plainly  in  sight,  a  depth  charge 
launched  from  one  of  the  trawlers  in  advance  exploded 
with  an  angry  roar,  and  a  column  of  water  shot  into  the 
air.  Captain  Roper,  on  board  U.  S.  S.  Cythera  (and  com- 
modore of  the  convoy),  hoisted  the  signal  "A,"  signi- 
fying that  a  submarine  had  been  sighted,  and  "general 
quarters"  was  sounded.  Nothing  further  was  seen  of  it, 
however — at  least  on  that  day — and  it  was  generally 
assumed  that  the  depth  charge  from  the  trawler  must 
either  have  damaged  the  "sub"  or  exploded  so  close  to 
her  as  to  compel  her  to  submerge  into  safer  waters. 

There  was  hissing  and  sputtering  in  the  radio-room, 
asking  information  from  the  vessels  farthest  in  advance, 
and  then  silence  as  the  operator  received  the  replies  in 
the  telephones  and  transcribed  them  to  paper.  It  was 
learned  that  a  submarine  had  certainly  been  seen  by  the 
trawler  close  inboard,  followed  by  the  not-to-be-mistaken 
wake  of  a  torpedo  which  barely  missed  the  merchant- 
man at  which  it  had  been  directed.  The  trawler  believed 
that  she  had  sorely  damaged  the  enemy  or  she  must 
surely  have  been  seen  again.  But  claims  of  that  nature — 
or  at  least  the  declarations  of  confident  suspicion — are 
made  with  almost  every  launching  of  a  depth  charge,  for 
it  should  be  remembered  that  the  true  sailor  must  have 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


his  repertory  of  yarns,  and  very  often  the  barrenest 
detail  is  expanded  into  an  exciting  and  apparently 
truthful  history. 

In  line  with  this  statement,  it  may  be  well  to  record 
here  that  one  of  the  crew,  who  has  preserved  a  diary, 
describes  an  attack  upon  the  Venetia  in  which  she  had  a 
narrow  and  most  thrilling  escape  from  destruction,  but 
launched  a  large  number  of  depth  charges  which  beyond 
any  doubt  drove  her  assailant  to  the  bottom.  But  since 
no  occurrence  so  tremendously  thrilling  as  this  is  men- 
tioned under  date  of  May  10,  1918,  either  in  the  ship's 
log  or  in  the  diary  of  the  officer  who  permitted  his  to  be 
read,  the  sailor's  narrative  may  be  dismissed  with  the 
assurance  that  its  author  would  make  a  very  excellent 
reporter  for  some  openly  professed  yellow  journal. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


A   SECOND   NIGHT  ATTACK 

A  FUSILLADE  OF  DEPTH  CHARGES— FRENCH  MERCHANTMAN  TOR- 
PEDOED— "VENETIA"  PREPARES  FOR  HAND-TO-HAND  CONFLICT- 
ENEMY  SUBMERGES  TO  AVOID  RAMMING— A  SUSPICIOUS  SAIL. 

FEW  hours  later,  however — to  be 
exact,  on  May  n,  1918,  at  3:39  A.M. — 
Ensign  Mangan,  who  had  the  watch  at 
the  time,  heard  that  telltale  muffled 
report  less  than  a  mile  distant,  and  saw 
a  great  column  of  water  and  spray  spout 
fiercely  from  the  port  bow  of  the  French  steamer  Susette 
Fraissinet,  which  soon  lurched  to  starboard,  indicating 
that  she  had  been  fatally  struck.  "General  quarters" 
was  quickly  sounded,  and  in  less  than  thirty  seconds  all 
hands  were  at  their  stations,  many  of  them  in  uniforms 
quite  "non  reg,"  meaning,  in  navy  parlance,  that  they 
were  not  properly  attired.  But  sartorial  adornment  is  a 
matter  of  small  consequence  when  one  is  suddenly 
awakened  by  the  piercing  shriek  of  a  call  to  "general 
quarters,"  and  at  that  particular  moment  even  the 
strictly  ethical  skipper  would  not  have  wasted  even  a 
critical  glance  if  his  executive  officer  had  hurried  to  his 
station  without  any  kind  of  shirt,  which,  in  the  absence 
of  information  as  to  the  smaller  details  of  the  event,  it 
may  be  easily  imagined  that  he  did. 

[129] 


I 


m 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


In  fact,  memory  has  been  recorded  that  there  was 
even  a  more  glaring  instance  of  undress  uniform  during 
this  excitement.  It  is  related  that  at  the  time  the  pay- 
master was  in  the  midst  of  a  bath,  and  when  the  general 
alarm  sounded  he  flew  to  his  station  on  the  bridge,  still 
dripping,  furnishing  the  unusual  spectacle  of  a  chief  of 
lookouts  directing  operations,  on  a  cold  night,  and  clad 
only  in  a  bathrobe  and  cap. 

All  eyes  were  now  turned  in  the  direction  of  the 
stricken  Susette  Fraissinet,  which,  in  the  glare  of  the 
well  directed  searchlights,  it  was  easy  to  note  was 
sinking  slowly  but  with  unerring  certainty.  There  came 
another  muffled  report  off  to  starboard,  and,  shortly 
thereafter,  the  sea-glasses  detected  that  unmistakable 
surface  disturbance  that  marks  the  wake  of  a  torpedo, 
coming  directly  toward  the  Venetia.  A  sharp  command, 
given  in  tones  of  great  alarm,  ordered  the  wheel  put 
hard  over  to  the  left;  the  ship  veered  about  quickly; 
Gunner  Jacobus  instinctively  assembled  his  crew  about 
the  depth  charges,  and  the  long,  snake-like  ripple 
crossed  the  ship's  bows  at  a  distance  of  considerably  less 
than  one  hundred  fifty  yards. 

This  statement  is  made  upon  the  authority  of  an 
entry  made  in  the  official  log;  but  the  journal  of  one  of 
the  crew  asserts,  with  apparently  undebatable  con- 
viction, that  the  distance  between  the  wake  of  the 
torpedo  and  the  bow  of  the  Venetia  was  surely  not  over 
fifteen  feet,  which  takes  the  other  extreme  of  estimate. 
There  remained,  nevertheless,  not  the  slightest  doubt 
that  if  the  threatening  approach  had  not  been  noted, 
the  now  splendidly  thrilling  career  of  Miss  Venetia 
would  have  ended  then  and  there. 

Several  nervous  circles  were  made  about  the  supposed 
location  of  the  diver  that  had  launched  the  torpedo,  and 


LET     ER  GO! 


THE   EXPLOSION 


A     SECOND     NIGHT    ATTACK 


Jacobus  dropped  seven  depth  charges  in  quick  suc- 
cession. Three,  of  them  failed  to  explode,  however,  and 
in  response  to  the  scathing  demand  of  the  skipper  to  be 
informed  as  to  their  origin  and  manufacture,  it  was 
established  that  they  were  some  of  the  "up-to-date" 
British  "ash-cans"  taken  aboard  at  Gibraltar.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  supposedly  inferior  ones  brought  from 
the  United  States  exploded  with  terrific  effect,  and  it 
was  known  that  if  the  "sea-hound"  had  been  within  a 
hundred  feet  of  one  of  them  she  would  never  again  rise 
to  the  surface. 

On  one  of  these  sleuthing  circles  the  French  trawler 
Isolde  was  noted  standing  by  to  rescue  the  crew  of  the 
Susette  Fraissinety  who  had  taken  to  the  life-boats  none 
too  soon,  for  she  went  down,  bow  first,  at  4:12,  thirty- 
three  minutes  after  being  struck.  The  sight  was  a 
peculiarly  saddening  one,  and  yet  splendidly  pic- 
turesque, as  the  great  vessel  throbbed  out  a  sighing 
cloud  of  steam,  and  sank,  looking  like  a  tragic  vignette 
in  the  midst  of  darkness,  or  quite  resembling  the  theatri- 
cal effect  of  a  mimic  ship  on  a  painted  sea,  sinking  under 
the  glare  of  the  spot-light. 

The  Venetia  continued  her  circling  courses  in  search 
of  the  predatory  monster  of  the  deep,  dropping  depth 
charges  at  regular  intervals,  for,  in  the  face  of  this  fatal 
preparedness,  it  would  not  dare  to  rise  to  the  surface. 
At  5:12  the  stillness  was  broken  by  the  inspiring  cry 
from  the  lookout  at  the  forward  masthead: 

"Submarine  dead  ahead,  sir!" 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  accuracy  of  the  alarm, 
for  the  submarine  was  plainly  visible  at  a  distance  of 
from  four  to  five  miles,  and  heading  directly  for  the 
convoy.  Captain  Porterfield  himself  telegraphed  "full 
speed  ahead"  from  the  bridge,  and  the  engines  pulsed 


I© 

L 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


and  throbbed  to  the  full  extent  of  their  power  as  the 
Venetia  fairly  tore  forward  "with  a  bone  in  her  teeth." 
It  was  believed  that  the  submarine  must  be  disabled 
and  compelled  to  remain  on  the  surface,  rendering 
probable  a  close-at-hand  encounter  with  almost  in- 
evitable capture  as  its  result. 

The  gun  crews  had  been  at  their  stations  ever  since 
the  first  alarm,  but,  in  view  of  the  long-awaited  hand- 
to-hand  encounter,  all  spare  men  were  ordered  on  deck 
with  rifles  and  ammunition,  while  officers  carried  their 
side  arms,  deadly  automatics. 

On  the  Venetia  plunged,  with  every  gun  trained, 
nearing  the  apparently  unsuspecting  submarine  by  leaps 
and  bounds  through  the  black  waters,  at  the  same  time 
keeping  between  the  sun  and  the  enemy,  and  with  a 
French  dirigible  in  plain  view  above,  following  in  close 
pursuit. 

As  the  enemy  came  nearer,  a  course  was  made  to  head 
him  off,  and  Captain  Porterfield  had  voiced  his  inten- 
tions of  ramming  him,  should  he  permit  the  Venetia  to 
approach  within  ramming  distance,  and  then  all  hands 
would  be  expected  to  set  to  and  capture  his  Hun  per- 
sonnel. But  to  the  utter  dismay  of  a  valiant  crew,  armed 
to  the  teeth,  the  enemy  proved  that  he  was  not  badly 
disabled,  for  he  submerged  almost  within  rifle-shot,  and 
on  reaching  the  spot  where  he  disappeared,  eleven  depth 
charges  were  launched  in  rapid  succession,  any  of  which 
must  have  destroyed  him  had  he  been  anywhere  near  it. 
Unfortunately,  however,  no  wreckage  was  seen  to  spring 
to  the  surface,  nor  even  those  telltale  swirls  of  floating 
oil  which  are  usually  assumed  to  be  sure  indications 
that  a  submarine  has  been  either  badly  damaged  or 
utterly  destroyed.  Comparison  of  data,  however,  col- 
lected from  different  diaries,  as  well  as  from  official 


A     SECOND     NIGHT    ATTACK 


records,  seems  to  indicate  that  this  must  have  been  a 
submarine  which  a  few  days  later  came  to  the  surface 
in  a  damaged  condition  and  was  captured  by  a  British 
destroyer. 

Nothing  was  left  now  but  a  quick  return  to  the  con- 
voy, which  of  course  was  nowhere  in  sight,  but  it  must 
prove  a  simple  matter  to  soon  overhaul  it  on  its  way  to 
Gibraltar.  Proofs  that  the  torpedoing  of  some  vessel,  of 
which  the  Venetia  s  company  had  not  heard,  must  have 
occurred  not  long  before,  were  encountered  in  hundreds 
of  floating  bales  of  cotton  and  the  flotsam  of  wreckage 
that  told  all  too  plainly  their  tragic  story.  At  4:45  that 
afternoon  the  convoy  was  overhauled  and  the  Venetia 
resumed  her  former  place  at  the  battle  station.  She  had 
now  earned  a  reputation  as  an  efficient  and  ever-willing 
scout  cruiser,  ready  at  any  moment  to  be  dispatched 
upon  some  errand  of  investigation  or  attack,  and  had 
now  become  known  as  "The  Bear-Cat,"  in  addition  to 
the  more  frivolous  appellations  of  "The  Painted 
Jezebel"  and  "The  Siren  of  Babylon." 

Double  vigilance  was  signaled  for  all  vessels,  and  it 
was  ordered  that  in  no  circumstances  must  any  ship 
display  a  light  at  night  for  any  reason  whatsoever.  But 
the  nervously  constituted  French  skippers  were  often 
persistently  culpable  in  the  matter  of  the  showing  of 
momentary  flashes  for  precaution's  sake,  and  during 
the  first  night  after  rejoining  the  convoy,  the  Venetia 
was  compelled  to  exact  compliance  with  this  order  by 
firing  warning  rifle-shots  at  one  of  them  whose  navigator 
was  evidently  afraid  of  collision  with  another  vessel 
following  not  far  in  his  wake. 

The  next  morning,  no  doubt  because  of  many  reports 
to  the  effect  that  submarines  had  been  again  ambushing 
their  periscopes  behind  the  sails  of  small  craft — such  as 

['33] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


fishing-boats  and  the  like — Commodore  Roper  signaled 
to  the  Venetia  from  the  Cythera  to  proceed  ahead  of  the 
convoy  and  investigate  a  sail  which  had  been  detected 
moving  about  suspiciously  along  the  western  horizon. 
Accordingly,  "full  speed  ahead"  was  telegraphed  to  the 
engine-room,  and  the  suspicious  little  craft  overhauled, 
to  discover  that  she  was  only  an  inoffensive  Spanish 
fisherman  whose  crew  had  frightened  itself  into  a  frenzy 
upon  the  aggressive  approach  of  a  stranger  vessel  of  war. 

Gibraltar  was  reached  without  further  incident,  and 
the  Venetia  had  no  sooner  moored  to  her  buoy  than  the 
liberty  parties  began  to  organize  for  the  smaller  excite- 
ments of  shore  pastimes,  by  way  of  pleasant  contrast 
with  the  more  strenuous  activities  of  stalking  for  the 
wily  "sea-wolves."  With  reference  to  these  our  old 
friend  the  Bermuda  lily  farmer  had  remarked  that  they 
were  "  twice  as  foolish  as  foxes,  full  of  speed  and  never 
for  a  fight." 

It  now  began  to  be  quite  self-evident  that  the  line  of 
distinction  hitherto  drawn  between  the  men  of  the 
regular  naval  service  and  those  of  the  Reserve  Force  had 
become  almost  entirely  obliterated  by  the  uniting 
influences  of  shoulder-to-shoulder  conflict  with  a  com- 
mon enemy.  There  was  now  no  difference  between 
"land-gobs"  and  "water-gobs,"  "amachoores"  and 
"profeshes,"  "tenderfeet"  and  "barnacles."  All  had 
been  equally  brave  and  reckless  under  the  same  com- 
pelling influences,  and  had  responded  with  equal 
alacrity  to  the  same  commands.  All  were  now  alike, 
officers  and  enlisted  men,  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States,  with  the  same  pride  in  her  navy  and  the  same 
indomitable  courage  in  defense  of  her  flag. 


~] 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A   SUCCESSION   OF  THRILLS 

THE  SIXTH  DEPARTURE  FOR  BIZERTA— A  DAYLIGHT  ATTACK— AP- 
PARENT CERTAINTY  THAT  "vENETLA."  BAGS  HER  FIRST  SUB- 
MARINE—A SURPRISE  IN  THE  NIGHT  AND  THE  SHIP  ABANDONED 
—  A  COLLISION  AND  NOT  A  TORPEDO— "SOMETHING  ON  THE 
SKIPPER." 

Gibraltar  a  squadron  of  merchantmen 
was  already  waiting  for  convoy,  so  no 
shore  leave  was  granted,  and,  after  the 
conference  of  commanders,  prepara- 
tions were  made  for  an  immediate 
return  to  the  eastward.  The  morning  of 
the  sixteenth  of  May  was  occupied  in  exhaustive  gun- 
pointing  and  "abandon-ship"  drills,  and  at  5: 22  in  the 
afternoon  moorings  were  cast  off  and  the  convoy  as- 
sumed formation  outside  Europa  Point. 

As  this  sixth  run  to  Bizerta  proved  to  be  one  of  extra- 
ordinary significance,  a  chart  of  the  convoy  is  furnished 
for  purposes  of  observation  and  record,  since  the  Venetia 
then  made  her  claim  to  the  positive  disabling  of  her 
first  submarine,  which  was  afterwards  allowed  by  both 
the  American  and  British  governments,  and  resulted  in 
the  placing  of  a  golden  star  upon  her  smoke-stack  as  the 
probable  avenger  of  the  Lusitania. 

During  the  first  night  out,  both  the  merchantmen  and 
their  protectors  seemed  more  or  less  overstrung,  both 


V    E    N    E  A 


WHATLEY  HALL 
(TOUPEDOED) 


THE  FATEFUL  CONVOY 


by  the  memory  of  the  exciting  scenes  of  a  few  days 
before  and  by  radio  messages  stating  that  on  the  previ- 
ous day  a  British  tramp  steamer  and  an  Italian  destroyer 
had  been  torpedoed  in  the  direct  course  then  being 
taken  by  the  convoy.  It  seemed  as  though  every  com- 
mander in  it  must  be  in  conflict  with  some  strong 
nervous  tension  or  other,  for  the  night  was  one  of  almost 
impenetrable  darkness.  The  orders  as  to  the  showing  of 
lights  were  more  stringent  than  ever,  and  such  poor 
formation  was  maintained  that  the  appearance  of  dawn 
exhibited  a  convoy  "scattered  all  over  the  Mediter- 
ranean," as  the  skipper  remarked,  and  it  was  hours 
before  the  original  formation  could  be  resumed. 


A    SUCCESSION    OF    THRILLS 


During  the  rest  of  the  day  the  formation  was  as 
regular  and  as  carefully  preserved  as  though  the  convoy 
were  engaged  in  a  deliberately  planned  naval  review. 
Each  of  the  merchantmen  plodded  along  slowly  at  a 
speed  of  seven  knots,  keeping  as  close  alignment  as  a 
platoon  of  soldiers  on  the  parade-ground,  and  apparently 
"guiding  right  and  left"  on  their  respective  escorts.  The 
sun  reddened  as  it  neared  the  horizon,  growing  more  and 
more  lurid  until  it  seemed  to  pause  and  bathe  in  the 
clouds  of  gold  and  crimson  that  hung  in  wondrous 
splendor  far  astern.  The  sea  was  tinted  with  reflections 
from  this  blaze  of  color,  and  some  of  it  fell  upon  the 
ships,  from  whose  decks  the  ever-busy  signalmen  were 
wigwagging  messages  to  and  fro.  Keen-eyed  lookouts 
kept  anxious  watch  from  the  crow's-nests,  for  that  was 
one  of  the  rigorous  rules  of  war  time ;  but  everywhere 
the  placid  sea  was  instinct  with  the  atmospheres  of  peace. 

Then  that  picture  of  solemn  silence  was  interrupted 
as  suddenly  and  violently  as  a  spinning  top  scatters  the 
pins  in  a  game  of  "Devil  among  the  Tailors." 

Ensign  Howard  had  just  relieved  Lieutenant  Mangan 
for  dinner,  and  stood  on  the  bridge  scanning  the  convoy. 
Immediately  in  his  line  of  vision  came  that  unmistakable 
muffled  explosion,  and  alongside  the  midship  section  of 
the  steamer  Sculptor  there  arose  a  column  of  water  and 
black  matter  which  for  a  moment  almost  obliterated  the 
smoke-stack  from  view.  The  shot  had  evidently  come 
from  the  Venetias  side  of  the  convoy,  and  orders  were 
shouted  that  were  at  once  loud  and  contradictory. 

"Wheel  hard  over  left!"  yelled  Ensign  Howard. 

"What  did  you  do  that  for?"  roared  Captain  Porter- 
field.  "Right!  Hard  over  right!"  and  his  hand  swept 
the  lever  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  telegraphic  dial, 
"What's  your  idea?" 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


! 

I 


"I  thought  the  'sub'  must  be  over  there,  sir,"  was  the 
reply. 

"I  think  she's  over  there!"  And  the  captain  pointed 
in  the  opposite  direction  with  the  accustomed  emphasis 
that  often  brought  conviction  to  those  who  disagreed 
with  him.  "Steady,  steady!  Pass  the  word  to  stand  by 
the  guns!  Stand  by  depth  charges!  Let  'em  go!"  And 
the  Venetia  surged  on  in  the  direction  indicated,  with 
Jacobus  dropping  the  charges  over  the  stern  as  rapidly 
as  they  could  be  launched  with  safety  to  the  ship  itself, 
•which  meant  intervals  of  one  hundred  fifty  feet. 

The  captain  telegraphed  "half  speed,"  then  "more 
bombs,"  and  seven  depth  charges  went  over  the  stern 
and  exploded  with  titanic  force,  within  perhaps  one 
hundred  feet  of  each  other,  sending  great  spouts  of 
water  and  spray  high  into  the  gathering  night,  and 
immediately  over  the  spot  where  several  pairs  of 
piercing  eyes  had  seen  the  periscope  and  conning-tower 
top  of  a  submarine.  At  this  point  U.  S.  S.  Surveyor  sud- 
denly appeared  out  of  the  night  beyond  and  began 
launching  depth  charges  in  rapid  succession.  As  closely 
as  they  could  be  enumerated  from  memory  and  the 
interchange  of  reminiscences,  this  vessel  launched  either 
two  or  three  charges  in  practically  the  same  water  hith- 
erto lashed  into  fury  by  the  seven  or  more  of  the  Venetia. 
This  incident  is  recalled  for  the  reason  that  Captain 
Pope  of  the  Surveyor  laid  claim  to  a  considerable  share 
in  the  destruction  or  disabling  of  this  submarine.  Which 
of  the  two  vessels  deserves  the  greater  share  of  the 
glory,  however,  will  no  doubt  always  remain  a  matter  of 
conjecture  or  dispute,  with  the  preponderance  of  evi- 
dence none  the  less  largely  in  favor  of  the  Venetia. 

It  was  now  too  dark  to  distinguish  the  nature  of  such 
bits  of  wreckage  as  could  be  detected  floating  in  the 


THE  WAKE  OF  A  TORPEDO 


THE   STRICKEN       SCULPTOR 


A    SUCCESSION    OF    THRILLS 


waves,  and  all  hands  looked  in  vain  for  the  telltale  black 
swirls  of  oil.  But  it  seemed  to  all  on  board  that  some 
one  of  the  charges  must  have  found  its  mark,  and  in  the 
soul  of  each  one  of  them  came  the  prayerful  query: 

"Has  the  Lusitania  been  avenged?" 

All  attention  was  now  directed  toward  the  torpedoed 
Sculptor,  which  did  not  seem  to  be  in  danger  of  sinking 
immediately,  although  very  low  in  the  water,  indicating 
that  she  was  leaking  badly.  The  trawler  Corvi  stood 
close  by  her,  engaged  in  rescuing  her  crew  from  the 
boats,  for  all  hands  had  now  deserted  her.  One  of  her 
life-boats  had  been  blown  to  pieces  in  the  explosion,  and 
the  men  who  should  have  taken  refuge  in  it  had  leaped 
overboard  in  their  frenzy,  and  were  being  rescued  by 
submarine  chaser  350.  Another  was  swamped  in  the 
lowering  of  it,  and  the  occupants  floundered  about 
in  the  black  waters,  shouting  for  help,  and  swimming 
for  their  lives,  or  clinging  to  bits  of  wreckage  from  the 
disabled  Sculptor.  Many  were  saved  by  the  trawler 
Isolde,  and  the  Venetia  stood  by  to  render  all  possible 
assistance.  The  work  was  extremely  hazardous  on  ac- 
count of  the  darkness,  to  say  nothing  of  the  danger  of 
collision  with  the  vessels  engaged  in  responding  to  calls 
from  the  poor  fellows  to  be  rescued.  Ensign  Howard,  in 
speaking  of  this  work  of  rescue,  says: 

"It  was  all  very  exciting  because  of  the  ever-present 
danger  to  the  ship;  but  of  course  it  was  impossible  to 
let  the  poor  Britishers  drown  like  so  many  sheep.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  appearance  of  one  of  them  swimming 
fiercely  toward  a  large  piece  of  wreckage  as  we  stood  by 
to  throw  life-lines  to  such  of  those  as  we  might  be  able 
to  reach.  He  was  a  huge,  raw-boned,  powerful  fellow, 
and  was  swimming  so  fast,  hand  over  hand,  that  his 
body  appeared  to  be  half  out  of  the  water.  I  felt  a  real 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


thrill  of  joyous  admiration  when  he  was  saved,  as,  in 
fact,  all  of  the  rest  were,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man. 
The  Isolde  had  some  of  them,  and  the  Corvi  reported  the 
rescue  of  ten,  including  the  Sculptor's  captain  and  most 
of  the  officers.  We  were  ordered  to  stand  by  the  tor- 
pedoed ship,  with  the  Corviy  for  although  she  was  very 
low  in  the  water,  she  did  not  appear  to  be  in  immediate 
danger  of  sinking." 

The  whereabouts  of  the  remainder  of  the  convoy  was 
of  course  a  matter  of  pure  speculation,  and  it  was  gener- 
ally conceded  that  if  submarines  were  as  numerous  in 
those  waters  as  our  experiences  of  the  fore  part  of  the 
night  would  seem  to  indicate,  it  was  quite  likely  that 
more  of  the  merchantmen  had  been  sent  to  the  bottom. 

The  Venetia  stood  off  and  on,  then  circled  about  the 
luckless  Sculptor ',  the  intention  being  to  save  her  valu- 
able cargo  by  having  her  towed  into  port  in  case  she 
should  still  be  floating  on  the  approach  of  daylight. 

The  night  was  now  comparatively  calm,  although  one 
of  inky  blackness.  All  except  those  in  the  routine 
watches  were  sleeping  off  the  fatigues  of  the  later 
watches  of  yesterday  and  the  early  ones  of  to-day,  or 
discussing  them  in  the  wardroom  and  forecastle.  Sudden- 
ly, and  of  course  without  warning,  in  the  absence  of  any 
light  or  other  identifying  signal  that  could  be  seen,  the 
trawler  Corvi  loomed  out  of  the  darkness  and  drizzle, 
dead  ahead  of  the  Venetia^  and  standing  directly  across 
her  bow.  Lieutenant  Armstrong,  who  had  the  watch  at 
the  time,  immediately  put  his  helm  "hard  over  right" 
and  stopped  the  engines,  which,  fortunately  enough, 
had  already  been  slowed  down  to  one  hundred  revolu- 
tions. If  the  trawler  had  taken  a  corresponding  pre- 
caution, there  would  have  been  no  mishap;  but  he  put 
his  wheel  to  the  left,  and  the  Venetia  struck  him  full  in 

[140] 


A    SUCCESSION    OF    THRILLS 


the  side,  just  forward  of  the  foremast,  her  bowsprit  stub 
fetching  up  on  his  port  gun-platform,  almost  sweeping 
it  from  the  deck. 

Immediately  all  was  confusion  on  board  of  the  Venetia^ 
with  passages  and  companionways  choked  with  officers 
and  men  struggling  to  reach  the  deck.  Captain  Porter- 
field,  suddenly  startled  from  a  stolen  rest  in  the  chart- 
room,  thought  of  nothing  else  but  that  the  ship  had 
been  torpedoed,  and  hurried  to  the  deck.  Lieutenant 
Armstrong  from  the  bridge  frantically  tried  to  shout 
the  correct  information  to  the  captain  above  the  din  of 
voices  and  confusion  of  orders,  but  this  he  failed  to  hear. 
Then,  believing  that  of  course  the  Venetia  had  received 
a  mortal  blow,  above  the  din  rang  out  his  loud  voice  of 
authority  that  must  not  be  disputed: 

"All — hands — abandon — ship !" 

The  value  of  the  numerous  "abandon-ship"  drills 
now  became  palpably  apparent,  for  the  boats  were  im- 
mediately lowered,  and  all  hands  began  sliding  down  the 
falls  into  them  in  good  order  and  without  the  slightest 
show  of  undue  excitement.  It  was  now  seen  that  the 
roster  of  the  Venetia  s  company  had  been  increased  by 
one  seaman.  The  trawler's  cook,  a  man  named  Williams, 
who  had  no  doubt  been  stationed  on  his  ship's  gun- 
platform  lookout,  jumped  to  the  Venetia  s  forecastle 
deck  and  joined  his  suddenly  acquired  new  acquaint- 
ances in  the  scramble  for  the  life-boats.  These  were  soon 
filled,  the  various  officers  taking  their  proper  stations  in 
the  sterns,  and  began  to  move  away  from  the  supposedly 
surely  sinking  Venetia.  As,  however,  the  ship  showed  no 
sign  whatever  that  she  was  in  a  sinking  condition,  or  in 
the  least  danger  of  it,  Captain  Porterfield  ordered  all 
hands  aboard  again,  and  then  for  the  first  time  dis- 
covered that  there  had  been  only  a  not  very  damaging 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


collision  instead  of  a  torpedo  attack.  It  has  not  been  re- 
corded that  he  made  any  attempt  to  excuse  or  explain 
his  part  in  the  misadventure,  further  than  to  remark 
quietly  that  it  had  been  "a  devilish  good  drill."  But  all 
hands  off  watch  went  to  bed,  those  possessed  of  a  sense 
of  humor  wondering  who  it  was  that  thought  it  would 
be  a  good  joke  to  "put  one  over  on  the  old  man." 

The  only  damage  sustained  by  the  Venetia  was  the 
splitting  of  the  bowsprit  stump,  the  carrying  away  of 
the  foretopmast  stay,  the  beading  leading  to  the  figure- 
head torn  away  on  the  starboard  side,  and  some  of  the 
stem  plates  crushed  in  sufficiently  to  cause  a  leak  that 
flooded  the  forepeak  compartment.  As  soon  as  the  con- 
fusion had  subsided,  communication  with  the  trawler's 
commander  elicited  the  information  that  his  damage 
was  comparatively  slight,  but  he  would  feel  indeed 
grateful  if  Captain  Porterfield  could  assume  the  care  of 
his  passenger  survivors,  as  his  confined  living  quarters 
were  sadly  congested. 

As  a  commendable  recompense  for  the  damage  in- 
flicted by  the  frenetic? s  sturdy  stem  upon  the  far  weaker 
trawler,  Captain  Porterfield  courteously  granted  the 
request,  and  after  some  delay  the  trawler's  overplus  of 
unbidden  guests  was  taken  aboard.  These  included 
Captain  Ward,  First  Officer  Dowling,  Second  Officer 
Milestone,  Third  Engineer  Graham,  Fourth  Engineer 
Edwards,  Gunner  Child,  and  three  seamen.  The  mess 
attendants  were  ordered  to  "break  out"  coffee  and 
sandwiches,  after  which  the  officers  were  made  at  least 
partially  comfortable  in  the  officers'  quarters,  while  the 
seamen  were  stowed  away  in  the  forecastle,  there  to  re- 
main until  they  could  be  finally  disposed  of  by  a  duly 
accredited  relief-ship. 

In  the  meantime  it  had  been  noticed  that  the  Sculptor 


A    SUCCESSION    OF    THRILLS 


had  settled  no  farther  in  the  water,  so  a  radio  message 
was  sent  out  calling  for  a  tug  to  tow  her  into  port,  for 
she  carried  a  valuable  cargo  of  munitions  of  war. 

Such  of  the  junior  officers  as  have  been  interviewed 
as  to  this  truly  exciting  but,  after  all,  somewhat  ludi- 
crous espisode,  have  manifested  a  commendably  loyal 
unwillingness  either  to  discuss  the  incident  or  even 
comment  upon  it.  In  point  of  fact,  such  statements  as 
have  been  made  were  considerably  lessened  in  value 
by  some  palpable  mental  reservations,  which  prevent 
the  chronicler  from  being  as  accurate  as  he  otherwise 
might  be. 

Be  it  said,  however,  that  this  considerately  loyal 
attitude  on  the  part  of  the  wardroom  youngsters  is 
strongly  to  be  commended.  To  quote  one  of  them,  there 
was  not  an  "Annapolis  man  in  the  whole  bunch,"  and 
as  their  lack  of  actual  experience  had  often  been  sub- 
jected to  much  caustic  criticism  on  the  part  of  their 
commander,  it  is  only  fair  to  assume  that  they  would 
welcome  any  opportunity  to  make  retorts  in  kind. 

But  this  none  of  them  considered  it  either  ethical  or 
politic  to  do,  so  the  aforesaid  chronicler  can  merely 
venture  the  impression  that  the  consensus  of  wardroom 
opinion  was  certainly  to  the  effect  that  their  virtue  had 
received  its  own  reward  as  far  as  the  skipper  was  officially 
concerned. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


THE   AFTERMATH   OF    BATTLE 

A  SEARCH  FOR  THE  SCATTERED  CONVOY— ANOTHER  VICTIM  OF  THE 
ATTACK— AN  INTRUSION  INTO  NEUTRAL  WATERS  — FRESNO 
RAISINS  AND  THE  MALAGA  BRAND— RUMORS  OF  FRESHER  DUTIES. 

E  dawning  of  another  day  developed 
the  welcome  news  that  the  valuable 
cargo  of  munitions  carried  by  S.  S. 
Sculptor  was  probably  safe  and  would 
eventually  be  employed  in  the  final 

discomfiture  of  the  now  surely  wavering 

foe.  The  vessel  was  still  afloat,  and  had  not  perceptibly 
lessened  her  freeboard  during  the  night.  The  Corvi, 
Isolde,  and  Venetia  were  still  standing  by  holding  care- 
ful watch  over  her  until  such  time  as  the  salvaging  tug 
radioed  for  should  arrive,  so  that  the  guard-ships  might 
return  to  their  convoy,  which,  naturally  enough,  was 
nowhere  in  sight. 

At  4:55  a  tug  was  sighted  headed  for  the  squadron  of 
guard-ships  and  their  disabled  charge  at  full  speed. 
This  proved  to  be  the  French  tug  Canard,  and  as  soon 
as  the  rescued  officers  and  crew  of  the  Sculptor  could  be 
shifted  aboard  of  her,  she  took  the  sorry-looking  cripple 
in  tow  escorted  by  the  trawler  Corvi,  and  the  Venetia, 
under  full  speed,  set  out  in  search  of  the  lost  convoy, 
followed  by  the  Isolde. 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    BATTLE 


After  a  run  of  two  hours  a  merchantman  in  a  sinking 
condition  was  sighted  ahead,  and  proved  to  be  the 
British  S.  S.  Mavisbrook,  which  had  been  torpedoed  in 
the  attack  of  the  previous  night.  As  a  trawler  was 
standing  by  her  no  stop  was  made,  and  two  hours  later 
the  radioman  received  the  news  that  she  had  gone  down 
bow  first,  carrying  with  her  a  great  cargo  of  sadly  needed 
provisions. 

The  lost  convoy  was  overhauled  shortly  after  4  o'clock 
that  afternoon,  and  when  messages  had  been  sent  and 
answered,  it  was  learned  that  the  S.  S.  Whatley  Hall 
had  also  been  torpedoed  the  night  before,  and  sank  in 
less  than  one  minute  and  a  half  with  all  on  board, 
making  the  unusual  number  of  three  victims  in  a  single 
attack  upon  a  convoy.  It  seemed  then  all  too  evident 
that  there  must  have  been  two  or  more  submarines  in 
that  attack,  for  there  now  remained  not  the  slightest 
doubt  in  the  minds  of  the  ship's  company  that  the 
Sculptor  s  assailant  had  been  utterly  disabled  if  not 
totally  destroyed  by  the  Venetias  terrific  onslaught  of 
depth  charges  in  spite  of  the  participation  of  the  vessel 
named  in  the  preceding  chapter. 

Many  mute  evidences  of  that  fierce  battle  displayed 
upon  the  calm  surface  of  the  Mediterranean  were  passed 
that  afternoon,  in  the  way  of  floating  bodies,  empty  life- 
boats and  rafts,  and  acre  upon  acre  of  wreckage  and 
buoyant  cargo.  The  Venetia  wended  her  silent  course 
through  them,  like  a  grim  and  seasoned  heroine  of  naval 
warfare,  manned  by  a  crew  of  young  men,  every  one  of 
them  now  believing  himself  to  be  a  hardened  veteran, 
long  accustomed  to  such  gruesome  sights. 

So  wended  toward  Bizerta  what  was  left  of  the  stately 
convoy  that  had  passed  through  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar 
only  a  few  days  before,  apparently  so  closely  surrounded 


['45] 


: 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


by  vessels  of  war  as  to  render  the  destruction  of  any 
part  of  it  next  to  impossible.  But  it  is  safe  to  say  of  sub- 
marine warfare  that,  although  its  failure  to  break 
the  German  blockade  was  certainly  established,  its 
torpedoes  might  easily  wreak  destruction  through  a  line 
of  protecting  vessels  if  they  formed  a  cordon  about  a 
convoy,  almost  with  stems  lashed  to  sterns. 

A  few  days  later  Ensign  Nicolini,  who,  it  will  be 
remembered,  had  been  transferred  from  the  Venetia  to 
the  Surveyor,  came  aboard  for  dinner  at  Gibraltar,  and 
related  his  experiences  during  the  last  destructive 
encounter  with  the  enemy  divers.  He  dwelt  particularly 
upon  the  harrowing  fate  of  the  S.  S.  Whatley  Hall, 
which,  he  said,  had  so  depressed  him  that  the  struggle 
against  unstrung  nerves  had  lasted  for  several  days. 
His  vessel  was  not  far  distant  when  the  ill-fated  vessel 
was  struck,  and  the  destroying  torpedo  had  exploded  in 
so  vulnerable  a  spot  that  it  seemed  certainly  not  more 
than  two  minutes  before  she  went  down,  leaving  all  of 
her  crew  struggling  in  the  water,  their  cries  for  help 
piercing  the  night  in  tones  of  heart-breaking  anguish 
that  he  will  never  forget.  The  flagship  at  the  time  was 
proceeding  under  full  speed  toward  where  another  sub- 
marine had  been  reported,  and  lest  other  ships  ahead  be 
destroyed,  Commander  Pope  was  compelled  to  drive 
his  ship  through  the  mass  of  struggling  martyrs  to 
German  avarice  and  leave  them  to  their  fate. 

But  this  was  one  of  the  distressing  necessities  of  war 
which  could  be  neither  corrected  nor  avoided;  for  its 
laws  are  implacable  and  demand  that  the  saving  of 
millions  of  dollars  in  property  value  must  be  given  con- 
sideration beyond  so  small  an  eventuality  as  the  saving 
of  a  handful  of  human  lives.  Humanitarianism  would 
naturally  adopt  a  more  merciful  process  of  reasoning, 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    BATTLE 


but  perhaps  it  should  be  remembered  that  in  saving 
these  lives  many  more  might  have  been  endangered, 
and  moreover,  mercy  and  pity  are  elements  that  seldom 
enter  into  the  ethics  of  warfare. 

The  night  before  arriving  at  Bizerta,  during  the  first 
watch,  a  hospital-ship  was  sighted,  which,  as  the  officer 
on  watch  at  the  time  expressed  it,  was  lit  up  like  Broad- 
way. In  spite  of  his  knowledge  that  Germany  had  agreed 
not  to  sink  hospital-ships,  his  first  impulse  was  to  signal 
the  stranger  that  there  were  submarines  close  by,  and 
she  should  extinguish  her  blaze  of  light,  since  he  had 
serious  doubts  of  the  sincerity  of  the  promise.  On  second 
thought,  however,  he  concluded  that  such  warnings 
were  not  in  his  line  of  duty;  and  then  again,  his  lack  of 
trust  in  German  promises  might  not  be  shared  by  the 
captain  of  the  illuminated  ship,  which  passed  by 
evidently  in  full  confidence  that  she  was  not  in  the 
slightest  danger. 

On  arrival  in  Sebra  Bay  it  was  learned  that  the  stay 
there  would  be  of  short  duration.  Accordingly,  liberty 
parties  began  at  once  to  hurry  to  the  "Beach,"  for  after 
the  harrowing  excitements  of  the  last  run  from  Gib- 
raltar the  crew  certainly  merited  relaxation  and  excite- 
ment of  a  less  enervating  nature.  There  were  dinners 
ashore  and  nearly  all  of  the  livery  conveyances  were 
commandeered  for  trips  to  near-by  villages.  But  there 
were  no  stories  of  interesting  episodes,  and  much  dis- 
satisfaction was  expressed  over  the  war-time  rule  that 
all  cafes  must  close  at  10:30  P.M.  One  of  the  men,  prob- 
ably to  show  his  utter  contempt  for  French  law,  decided 
to  make  a  law  unto  himself,  which  should  apply  to  his 
ship  as  well,  notwithstanding  navy  regulation  in  respect 
to  beverages  containing  what  is  familiarly  known  as  a 
"punch."  This  lack  of  foresight  resulted  in  his  being 

['47] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


"called  to  the  mast"  the  next  morning  and  punished  for 
bringing  liquor  aboard. 

That  afternoon  the  now  veteran  vessels  of  war  and 
the  accompanying  trawlers  and  tugs  steamed  again  for 
Gibraltar  in  charge  of  a  convoy  of  nine  merchantmen. 
That  day  and  the  next  were  quite  eventless,  but  on  the 
following  morning  a  floating  body  wearing  a  life-belt 
recalled  the  loss  of  the  three  ships  torpedoed  on  the 
eastward  cruise,  and  visualized  the  sad  fate  of  some- 
body's husband,  son,  or  father  whose  final  sepulchre 
would  ever  remain  among  the  unfathomable  mysteries 
of  history's  greatest  war.  Many  such  gruesome  sights 
as  this  had  been  passed  before,  but  about  this  one  there 
seemed  to  hang  an  atmosphere  of  peculiar  sadness.  The 
poor  fellow,  suddenly  aroused  from  a  restless  sleep,  had 
probably  been  given  ample  time  in  which  to  prepare  for 
his  final  struggle  with  death,  and  lashed  a  life-belt  about 
his  body  before  his  ship  went  down  leaving  him  alone  in 
a  sea  shrouded  in  darkness.  He  felt  certain,  no  doubt, 
that  with  the  dawning  of  another  day  relief  would  come; 
only  to  find  himself  alone  and  deserted,  through  many 
hours  of  languishing  and  despairing,  until  exposure  and 
starvation  had  done  their  work. 

That  afternoon  a  message  came  from  Captain  Roper 
directing  that  the  Venetia  should  come  at  once  within 
hailing  distance  of  the  flagship  Cythera.  "Full  speed 
ahead"  was  ordered,  and  on  the  way  to  the  head  of  the 
convoy  there  were  many  speculations  as  to  the  possible 
motive  for  the  hurried  call.  It  was  of  course  hoped  by 
all  on  board  that  some  mission  of  great  importance 
might  be  in  store  for  them,  and  the  more  exciting  and 
dangerous  the  better.  Fulfillment  of  this  hope  seemed 
extremely  probable  when  it  was  learned  from  the  senior 
officer  of  the  convoy  that  a  trawler  ahead  had  sighted  a 

[148] 


'FULL  SPEED  AHEAD!' 


PHE   REASON   WHY 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    BATTLE 


submarine  approaching  it  about  five  miles  distant,  and 
he  had  selected  the  Venetia  to  proceed  in  the  direction 
indicated  and  earn,  if  possible,  the  long-sough t-for 
glory  of  attacking  a  submarine  single-handed  and  cap- 
turing or  destroying  it  under  circumstances  that  would 
admit  of  no  possible  dispute. 

The  "bone  in  her  teeth"  again  appeared  below  her 
sharp  cutwater  as  she  surged  forward  and  left  in  her 
wake  glittering  evidences  of  pride  in  having  been 
selected  for  so  important  a  duty.  But  her  eagerly  ex- 
pectant crew  was  again  doomed  to  disappointment,  for, 
after  zigzagging  on  many  courses  for  several  hours,  no 
submarine  or  wake  of  one  was  made  out.  Instead,  an 
innocent  fishing-smack  that  scurried  off  toward  the 
African  coast  on  her  approach  made  it  all  too  evident 
that  the  imaginative  eyesight  of  the  lookout  on  a  ner- 
vous trawler  had  taken  her  little  stump  of  a  mast  for  a 
periscope. 

On  resuming  position  off  the  starboard  quarter  of  the 
convoy,  it  was  discovered  that  its  course  had  been 
altered  and  it  was  headed  northwesterly  toward  the 
Spanish  coast.  Warnings  had  been  received  from  Gib- 
raltar concerning  the  presence  of  submarines  in  the  open 
sea,  and  it  had  been  decided  to  direct  the  convoy  to 
proceed  at  once  into  neutral  waters  within  the  three- 
mile  limit,  where  attacks  would  not  be  permissible 
under  international  law.  Of  course  the  commodore  knew 
very  well  that  his  convoy  had  no  business  there  and  so 
had  the  officials  who  had  issued  the  order.  But  as  there 
was  a  clear  course  ahead  and  no  "traffic  cop"  in  sight, 
it  had  been  decided  to  test  the  vigilance  of  the  Spanish 
gunboats  as  a  precautionary  measure,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  no  less  than  three  ships  had  been  lost  from  the 
preceding  convoy. 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


The  progress  was  now  regular  and  the  stations  of  the 
various  ships  maintained  with  an  entire  absence  of 
nervous  navigation,  for  they  were  in  a  neutral  zone 
where  no  submarine  was  likely  to  intrude.  The  rule  of 
darkened  ships  at  night,  however,  was  strictly  enforced, 
not  because  of  any  fear  of  the  approach  of  an  enemy,  but 
it  was  obviously  wiser  to  avoid  interference  on  the  part 
of  police  boats  from  sunny  Castillia.  It  was  related  that 
on  one  occasion  the  eagle  eye  of  the  skipper  of  the 
Surveyor  detected  a  glimmering  light  hanging  over  the 
stern  of  one  of  the  merchantmen.  "Full  speed  ahead" 
was  ordered,  and  upon  coming  within  megaphone  hailing 
distance  the  malefactor  was  assailed  by  the  voice  of 
angered  authority:  "Put  out  that  light!"  Then  came  a 
somewhat  gloating  reply  through  the  darkness:  "All 
right!  But  you  put  out  the  three  lights  you're  showing 
yourself! " 

There  appeared  to  be  a  sense  of  security  on  this  quiet 
course  along  the  picturesque  coast  of  southern  Spain, 
which  was  a  decided  relief  from  the  other  U-boat- 
infested  zones  farther  on  out  of  sight  of  land.  During 
this  whole  balmy  summer's  day  the  convoy  moved  in 
certain  security,  almost  "on  the  beach,"  and  marine- 
glasses  and  kodaks  were  plentiful  along  the  shore  side, 
viewing  or  snapping  the  panorama  stretched  out  before 
them ;  novel  because  it  was  entirely  new  to  nearly  every- 
one aboard.  Tall,  beetling  mountains,  purpled  in  the 
warm  haze,  with  the  outlines  of  little  villages  and  villas, 
dotting  the  perspective  almost  up  to  their  topmost 
peaks;  rocky  promontories  nearer  by,  with  ruined  and 
modern  castles  on  the  sunny  sides  of  them,  while,  on 
their  summits,  silhouetted  against  the  distant  purples, 
were  the  ruins  of  the  castles  of  history,  and  well  pre- 
served watch  towers  erected  by  the  ancient  Moors  in 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    BATTLE 


their  conquest  of  Granada.  Along  the  coast  the  atmos- 
phere, while  even  a  trifle  warmer  than  the  temperature 
of  California's  Southland,  was  remarkably  clear,  and 
excellent  views  were  obtained  of  the  cities  of  old  Carta- 
gena and  Malaga,  of  raisin  fame,  whose  reputation  has 
been  somewhat  tarnished,  if  not  dangerously  vitiated, 
by  the  vineyard  products  of  Fresno  and  Tulare. 

At  mess  that  afternoon,  one  or  two  of  the  youngsters 
interchanged  remarks  touching  upon  the  superiority  of 
the  raisin  as  produced  in  the  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin, 
in  the  hearing  of  a  non-Californian.  He  unhesitatingly 
declared  that  there  was  no  raisin  in  the  world  that  could 
approach  the  Malaga  brand.  Wardroom  ethics  of  course 
forbade  the  precipitation  of  a  dispute  between  a  senior 
officer  and  his  juniors,  and  furthermore,  since  this  con- 
viction was  somewhat  clinched  by  the  fact  that  at  the 
time  the  senior  was  passing  Fresno  raisins  from  his 
plate  to  his  mouth,  the  Californians  quietly  held  to  their 
opinions  and  inwardly  pitied  the  disputant  because  he 
did  not  know  the  "Golden  State"  as  well  as  they  did. 

Just  before  sunset  the  mighty  Rock  of  Gibraltar 
appeared  silhouetted  against  the  western  sky  bathed  in 
golds  and  purples,  while  its  frowning  outlines  reflected 
on  a  truly  glassy  sea.  Then  out  of  the  distance  loomed 
the  familiar  form  of  the  old  U.  S.  gunboat  Machias, 
easily  familiar  owing  to  her  unbeautiful  model  and 
antique  design.  She  was  proceeding  eastward  under  full 
speed,  and  signaled  that  she  had  been  sent  under  hurry 
orders  to  assist  an  Ally  vessel  off  the  beach  beyond 
Malaga.  Doubtless  this  was  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
the  stranded  ship  afloat  and  on  her  way  before  she  could 
be  surprised  by  the  Spanish  marine  traffic  squad  and 
interned,  or  else  marooned  and  relieved  of  her  cargo  by 
I.  W.  W.  bands  (rumor  having  located  two  or  three 


V    E    N    E  A 


varieties  of  them  among  the  remoter  stretches  of  this 
rocky  coast). 

The  harbor  of  Gibraltar  was  entered  at  8:30  P.M.; 
batteries  were  unloaded  and  the  ammunition  stored 
away;  pistol  primers  were  removed  from  the  depth 
charges  and  the  canvas  covers  lashed  tightly  over  them ; 
then  the  ship  picked  up  a  buoy  and  moored  instead  of 
tying  up  to  a  dock  as  before.  The  celerity  with  which 
these  routine  functions  were  carried  out  created  in  the 
minds  of  the  more  inquisitive  ones  considerable  specu- 
lation as  to  what  new  duty  was  in  store  for  the  Venetia. 
That  there  was  to  be  a  change  of  some  kind  seemed  to 
be  the  prevailing  "hunch"  among  all  the  uninformed, 
but  all  speculative  discussion  was  terminated  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  familiar  leather  bag  marked  "U.  S.  M." 
and  in  addition  it  was  noised  about  that  a  court  of  in- 
quiry was  to  be  held  ashore,  obviously,  it  was  generally 
believed,  to  determine  who  should  receive  first  honors 
in  the  records  of  the  recent  encounters  with  submarines. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


HAS  THE    LUSITANIA    BEEN  AVENGED? 

LETTERS  FROM  HOME— A  BOARD  OF  INQUIRY  CONCERNING  THE  RE- 
CENT BATTLES— PREPONDERANCE  OF  EVIDENCE  IN  FAVOR  OF 
"VENETIA"— A  SCOUTING  CRUISE  TO  THE  AZORES. 

the  regular  service  the  receipt  of  let- 
ters from  home  has  long  since  been 
relegated  to  a  place  on  the  list  of  mat- 
ters embracing  the  ordinary  functions 
of  routine.  There  is,  of  course,  a  senti- 
^^^^^^  mental  side  to  it  which  clothes  it  with 
a  glamour  always  absent  from  the  more  technical  hap- 
penings ;  but  the  experienced  mariner  has  been  schooled 
into  a  sort  of  semi-indifference  with  reference  to  cor- 
respondence, and  he  receives  his  letters  in  his  usual 
happy-go-lucky  way,  glad  to  receive  them  when  they 
come,  but  never  quite  disappointed  when  they  do  not. 
Homesickness  has  been  trained  out  of  him  by  the  hard 
knocks  and  sometimes  grueling  routine  of  his  busy 
calling,  and  if  there  should  come  at  any  time  a  mild 
attact  of  that  depressing  malady,  it  is  usually  oblit- 
erated from  his  system  by  association  with  the  new 
acquaintances  formed  during  liberty  ashore. 

With  the  Naval  Reserve  man,  however,  it  is  quite  a 
different  matter.  The  appearance  of  the  orderly  coming 
up  the  gangway  with  the  mail-bag  is  an  incident  quite 

[153] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


paramount  to  any  other  connected  with  life  aboard 
ship.  In  point  of  fact  it  is  only  a  trifling  exaggeration  to 
venture  the  opinion  that  he  would  almost  open  a  letter 
from  home  during  an  engagement,  and  read  it  with  one 
eye  while  pointing  a  gun  with  the  other. 

Suddenly  called  into  the  service  of  his  country,  albeit 
he  enters  the  ceaseless  grind  of  rapid  preparation  with- 
out complaint,  he  almost  invariably  carries  with  him 
the  blessed  influences  of  the  home  he  has  left  behind, 
and  if  there  be  little  ones  there,  his  loneliness  is  all  the 
harder  to  bear  as  he  dreams  of  them  on  his  comfortless 
cot  in  the  long  barrack-room  or  forecastle.  Then  the 
sense  of  desolation  is  all  the  keener  amid  the  dangers  of 
war  zones,  where  at  any  moment  there  may  come  the 
sudden  taking  off  that  shall  remove  him  forever  from 
the  happy  fireside  he  has  created  with  the  energy  of 
youth  and  under  the  inspiration  of  love. 

The  Department  of  the  Navy  is  generally  most  solic- 
itous in  its  efforts  to  secure  as  prompt  delivery  of  mail 
to  the  men  in  the  service  as  is  reasonably  possible,  and 
a  small  army  of  clerks  is  employed  to  see  that  it  is 
promptly  dispatched  to  its  proper  destination.  But  the 
remoteness  of  stations,  as  well  as  the  difficulty  of  secur- 
ing adequate  transportation  for  the  precious  leathern 
bags — especially  in  war  times — often  occasions  una- 
voidable delay  and  as  a  matter  of  course  sharp  criticism 
of  department  methods,  which  is  about  as  often  un- 
merited as  it  is  deserved. 

Criticisms  of  this  nature  were  certainly  almost  as 
numerous  as  names  on  the  roster  of  the  ship's  company 
when  the  letters  from  far-off  California  arrived  on  this 
twenty-seventh  day  of  May,  1918.  Some  of  them  had 
been  months  on  the  way,  and  arrived  on  the  same  date 
as  others  written  but  a  few  short  weeks  before.  Natu- 

[154] 


i 


HAS  THE  "LUSITANIA"  BEEN  AVENGED? 


rally  then  allusions  to  the  lax  methods  of  the  Post- 
master General  were  generally  qualified  by  profane 
phrases,  the  makers  of  them  being  unconscious  that  the 
delays  were  due  to  no  personal  neglect  on  his  part. 

The  scene  that  follows  the  delivery  of  a  liberal  in- 
stallment of  mail  matter  on  the  decks  and  in  the  pas- 
sageways of  a  war- vessel  at  anchor  is  truly  an  inspiring 
one,  and  only  the  time-barnacled  old  salt  who  perhaps 
has  never  received  a  letter  during  his  entire  term  of 
service  can  fail  to  be  tenderly  moved  by  it.  Such  a  scene 
was  touchingly  enacted  on  this  particular  evening,  with 
the  Venetias  deck  in  the  foreground,  the  illuminated 
ships  and  town  in  the  middle  distance,  and  the  mighty 
"Rock"  standing  out  boldly  against  a  sky  that  was 
purpling  under  the  influence  of  the  approaching  night. 

Under  each  electric  light  there  was  gathered  a  group 
reading  letters  from  dear  ones,  save  where  here  and 
there,  in  a  remote  dimly  lighted  corner,  someone  who 
did  not  care  to  expose  to  others  his  feelings  of  joy  or 
sorrow  read  his  epistle  in  solitude  over  and  over  again. 
Some  of  the  letters  were  from  pals  telling  of  merry  hap- 
penings in  the  old  town,  and  these  were  read  by  the 
fortunate  recipients  to  little  knots  of  those  whom  the 
mail  had  seemed  to  have  forgotten;  others  were  from 
children,  and  the  proud  fathers  seldom  failed  to  demon- 
strate to  their  near-by  shipmates  what  precocious  little 
ones  they  had  sired.  Some  bore  tidings  of  joy  that  radi- 
ated in  the  countenances  of  those  who  read  them ;  some 
were  messages  of  evil  and  sent  the  readers  below  with 
clouded  faces ;  a  muffled  sob  from  some  poor  boy  whose 
home  death  had  visited  either  drove  his  neighbors  from 
his  reading  light  in  pitying  silence  or  brought  to  him  a 
boon  companion  to  learn  the  truth  and  speak  the  words 
of  consolation  that  friendship  always  has  to  offer. 

[155] 


I 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


And  so  progressed  this  ever-shifting  scene  of  mirth  to 
sadness,  of  joy  to  sorrow,  of  happy  pride  to  utter  desola- 
tion, until  "Taps"  came,  and  homesickness  spread  in 
depressing  silence  among  the  lonesome  ones  who  peopled 
the  Venetias  sleeping-places. 

The  following  afternoon,  in  the  schoolhouse,  where 
were  always  held  such  conferences  as  had  to  do  with 
convoy  matters,  a  board  of  inquiry  assembled  to  collect 
such  evidence  as  was  attainable  with  reference  to  the 
submarine  attacks  of  the  nth  and  iyth  of  May.  Con- 
sideration of  the  events  of  the  former  date  was  in  the 
nature  of  a  review  of  evidence  already  recorded,  but 
those  of  the  iyth  and  i8th  had  not  yet  been  presented  in 
conference,  and  were  now  subjected  to  the  most  rigid 
and  searching  investigation.  All  of  the  commanders,  as 
well  as  the  deck  officers  on  watch  at  the  time  of  the 
attacks,  were  present,  as  were  also  Sir  Rupert  Miles,  the 
British  naval  commander  at  Gibraltar,  and  Admiral 
Niblack,  officer  in  command  of  the  U.  S.  forces  in  those 
waters,  as  well  as  the  several  gunners  who  had  launched 
the  depth  charges. 

While,  speaking  exactly,  there  had  come  as  yet  no 
strictly  official  information  with  reference  to  the  events 
of  those  stirring  days,  rumor  had  been  more  than  usually 
active,  and  several  Spanish  press  dispatches,  republished 
in  Gibraltar,  added  enough  of  the  color  of  truth  to  them 
to  make  them  worthy  of  official  inquiry.  These  dis- 
patches were  to  the  effect  that  on  May  19  two  German 
submarines  had  limped  into  the  port  of  Cartagena,  both 
seriously  damaged  and  one  of  them  merely  floating  be- 
yond all  hope  of  reconstruction.  The  two  vessels  and 
their  officers  and  crews  were  immediately  interned,  and, 
pending  a  more  complete  inquiry  by  the  properly 
appointed  authorities,  the  following  facts  were  elicited: 


HAS  THE  "LUSITANIA"  BEEN  AVENGED? 


On  the  night  of  the  iyth  and  the  early  morning  of  the 
1 8th,  both  of  the  submarines  had  been  operating  against 
the  same  convoy,  and  the  torpedoing  of  the  ships 
Whatley  Halt,  Mavisbrooky  and  Sculptor  was  acknowl- 
edged. The  informant  had  given  especial  prominence  to 
the  attack  on  the  Sculptor,  and  it  was  learned  that  the 
now  almost  destroyed  submarine  had  doubtless  sent 
the  torpedo  into  her.  It  was  told  that  after  the  explosion 
close  aboard  of  her  of  seven  depth  charges,  launched  in 
rapid  succession  "from  a  gaily  camouflaged  yacht,"  she 
was  discovered  to  be  in  an  almost  sinking  condition  and 
hurried  to  the  nearest  port. 

Captain  Pope  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Surveyor  claimed  to  have 
launched  depth  charges  in  the  same  waters,  the  roars  of 
some  of  them  immediately  following  those  from  the 
Venetia.  The  claim  was  made  that,  in  the  absence  of 
positive  proof,  the  Surveyor  should  be  accredited  as 
having  been  at  least  a  partial  destroyer  of  one  or  both  of 
the  submarines  interned  at  Cartagena. 

The  identity  of  neither  of  them  had  as  yet  been  dis- 
closed in  the  newspaper  dispatches,  and,  in  the  light  of 
conflicting  claims,  no  positive  decision  could  be  rendered 
by  the  present  board  of  inquiry.  The  consensus  of  opinion 
among  the  senior  officers,  however,  seemed  to  be  that, 
while  the  Surveyor  was  apparently  the  avenger  of  the 
unfortunate  Mavisbrook,  it  was  the  seven  charges  from 
the  Venetia  that  had  sent  the  destroyer  of  the  now  sal- 
vaged Sculptor  hopelessly  disabled  into  Cartagena. 

At  all  events,  Captain  Porterfield  expressed  himself 
as  being  practically  certain  of  it,  Admiral  Niblack 
specifically  coincided  with  him,  and,  while  the  British 
admiral  was  noncommittal,  it  was  believed  that  had  it 
been  necessary  to  render  a  report  then  and  there,  it 
would  have  been  largely  to  the  credit  of  the  Venetia. 

[•57] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


There  was  no  discount  of  any  kind  placed  upon  the 
proceedings  of  this  board,  however,  when  spread  about 
the  justly  proud  little  ship  that  in  peace  times  hailed 
from  San  Diego.  The  somewhat  uncertain  and  indefinite 
opinion  of  the  board  as  to  which  vessel  had  been  the 
avenger  of  the  Sculptor  was  argued  and  deduced  into 
positive  fact.  Then,  no  doubt  moved  by  the  spirit  of 
exaggeration  that  always  follows  victory,  both  in  ward- 
room and  forecastle,  beginning  with  the  apparent  con- 
viction of  the  skipper  himself,  there  seemed  to  exist  a 
profound  belief  that  at  last  the  Lusitania  was  avenged. 

The  number  of  one  of  the  interned  submarines  had 
been  variously  reported  as  being  U-69  and  other  num- 
bers containing  the  numeral  9.  So  by  due  process  of 
sailor  deduction  it  was  decided  that,  owing  to  a  tele- 
graphic error  in  the  transmission  of  the  identification 
number,  the  true  one  was  not  given ;  hence  the  battered 
sub,  now  forever  out  of  commission  in  the  harbor  of 
Cartagena,  must  be  none  other  than  U-jp,  the  alleged 
perpetrator  of  the  crime  that  furnished  the  most  popular 
reason  for  a  declaration  of  war  upon  Germany  by  Uncle 
Sam. 

It  was  learned  that  the  identity  of  the  interned 
U-boats  would  of  course  soon  be  officially  established, 
and  a  golden  star  placed  on  the  funnel  of  such  vessel  or 
vessels  as  might  be  decided  to  be  responsible  for  their 
destruction.  But  the  Venetia  boys  had  already  decided 
that  question  for  themselves.  Nearly  every  one  of  them 
believed  himself  a  duly  accredited  avenger  of  the 
Lusitania,  with  a  self-bestowed  golden  star —  figuratively 
at  least — pinned  to  his  service  stripe,  and  no  board 
of  inquiry  should  ever  remove  it. 

Corroboration  of  these  events  that  would  have  taken 
the  beliefs  of  the  Venetia  s  body  of  avengers  out  of  the 


HAS  THE  "LUSITANIA"  BEEN  AVENGED? 


realm  of  doubt  became  suddenly  postponed  by  the 
information  that  a  scouting  trip  was  to  be  made  to  the 
Azores  and  return.  Within  five  days  she  was  duly  fueled 
and  provisioned  for  the  voyage  and  departed  in  com- 
pany of  a  six-knot  motor-ship,  the  Charles  Braley,  and 
carrying  one  hundred  thirty-seven  bags  of  mail  for  our 
boys  at  Ponta  Delgada,  together  with  a  large  quantity 
of  naval  stores. 

Until  the  last  hour  or  two  before  heading  westward, 
upon  a  voyage  that  seemed  quite  like  a  yachting  trip  in 
comparison  with  what  the  springtime  experiences  had 
been,  there  had  existed  a  spirit  of  elation  in  every  part 
of  the  ship.  These  scouting  and  observation  trips  had 
been  for  some  time  of  monthly  occurrence,  and  were  a 
pleasant  relief  from  the  occasionally  exciting  but  gener- 
ally monotonous  business  of  convoying.  But  now, 
instead  of  proudly  assisting  in  the  protection  of  great 
merchantmen  and  freighters,  the  Venetia  was  arbitrarily 
directed  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  testing  her  speed  in  a 
trial  trip  to  Ponta  Delgada  and  return,  and  take  under 
her  protecting  wing  for  many  days  a  six-knot  ship, 
which  was  a  gait  from  one  to  three  knots  slower  than 
any  of  the  Bizerta-Gibraltar  convoys  had  been. 

"But  sailors  supposes  and  commanders  disposes," 
as  the  lily  farmer  philosophized,  glancing  aft  at  the 
speedless  Charles  Braley.  "This  disappointment  reminds 
me  of  a  play  I  saw  once,  in  the  Bohemian  Club,  that  was 
called  'Sherman  Said  a  Mouthful!'"  And  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  when  it  was  noticed  that  the  Venetia 
was  astern  of  her  convoy,  he  again  remarked:  "  I  wonder 
if  the  skipper  thinks  he  can  drive  that  craft  along  any 
faster  by  pushing  her  from  behind." 


CHAPTER  XXV 


INTERESTING   DIVERGENCIES 

A  PASSENGER  FOR  THE  AZORES  — A  QUICK  RETURN  TO  GIBRALTAR— 
AN  EXPERIENCE  IN  COLONIAL  CHURCH  ENGLISH— IN  MOURNING 
FOR  A  DULL  FOURTH  OF  JULY. 

PLEASING  relief  from  the  well  known 
monotony  of  looking  across  the  table  at 
the  same  faces  three  times  a  day  was 
the  addition  to  the  wardroom  personnel, 
as  a  passenger  to  Ponta  Delgada,  of 

Lieutenant  Commander  I.  C.  Van  de 

'arr.  A  most  agreeable  shipmate,  an  interesting  mess 
companion,  and  even  more  attractive  at  that  other 
table  oftentimes  devoted  to  that  particular  pastime  of 
chance  and  skill  which  Hoyle  always  insisted  was  the 
American  national  game,  and  the  most  alluring  one  ever 
played  with  cards.  Everyone  who  affects  this  game — 
either  for  pastime  or  gain — has  a  notion  that  he  can 
play  it  "just  a  shade  better"  than  anyone  else  about  the 
board,  and  naturally  the  lieutenant  was  no  exception. 
But  he  proved  to  be  a  most  affable  loser,  and  when  he 
won  he  would  draw  down  the  pot  with  a  halting  motion 
and  an  expression  of  regret  that  greatly  softened  the 
discomfiture  of  those  who  held  the  poorer  hands  or  did 
not  know  how  to  bluff. 

Nearly  a  week  was  consumed  on  the  outward  voyage 


INTERESTING    DIVERGENCIES 


on  account  of  the  exasperating  slowness  of  the  Charles 
Braley.  It  was  without  incident  or  excitement,  other 
than  that  above  touched  upon,  except  that  every  one  of 
the  many  vessels  passed  was  suspected  to  be  an  enemy 
until  its  identification  signal  was  displayed,  and  abso- 
lute qualms  of  regret  were  plentiful  whenever  the  little 
flags  of  friendship  fluttered  from  their  halliards. 

The  Venetia  boys,  be  it  remembered,  had  had  their 
initiation  into  several  degrees  of  actual  warfare;  they 
liked  it  because  it  was  what  they  had  enlisted  for;  and 
there  were  precious  few  of  them  who  did  not  resent 
to  some  extent  the  fact  that  the  "Bear-Cat"  was,  for 
this  trip  at  least,  nothing  but  a  passenger,  mail,  and 
freight  carrier,  to  say  nothing  of  the  companionship  of 
"Charley,"  who  could  neither  be  led  nor  driven  into  a 
speed  greater  than  six  knots. 

But,  being  in  a  well  known  war  zone,  there  was  ever 
present  the  probability  of  a  surprise,  and  for  this  the 
usual  preparedness  was  strictly  preserved.  There  was 
the  stringently-adhered-to  safeguard  of  no  lights  at 
night,  the  guns  were  kept  always  loaded,  and  the  det- 
onating pistols  for  the  depth  charges  were  seated 
although  set  on  "Safety." 

San  Miguel  Island  was  sighted  in  the  early  morning, 
and  at  daylight  the  Venetia  was  welcomed  and  escorted 
into  Ponta  Delgada  by  two  American  seaplanes,  which 
circled  speedily  above  and  about  her  in  graceful  dips 
and  curves  until  harbor  was  reached  and  she  anchored 
behind  the  breakwater  that  had  sheltered  her  when  she 
was  only  a  modest  neophyte  in  warfare. 

Lieutenant  Commander  Van  de  Carr  was  regretfully 
escorted  over  the  side;  Captain  Porterfield  departed 
with  him,  for  the  usual  perfunctory  call  on  Admiral 
Dunn,  U.  S.  N. ;  officers  off  watch  prepared  to  stretch 

[161] 


m 


& 


VENETIA 


their  legs  on  dry  land ;  and  liberty  parties  formed  a  line 
before  the  executive's  office,  ostensibly  to  perform  the 
usual  functions  of  the  jacky  ashore,  but  principally  to 
commendably  brag  of  their  experiences  in  bagging 
U-boats  in  the  Mediterranean. 

It  was  remarked,  however,  that  now  Ponta  Delgada 
did  not  offer  the  entertainment  or  amusement  of  larger 
ports  farther  to  the  east.  The  officers  reported  that,  after 
their  walks,  inspecting  places  of  supposed  interest  which 
they  had  not  visited  before,  they  had  found  the  cafes 
quiet,  the  clubs  dull,  and  so  had  come  back  aboard  to 
turn  in,  write  letters,  or  make  brief  entries  in  their 
diaries.  That  the  men  had  not  secured  their  usual  re- 
laxation of  spirit  this  time  in  Ponta  Delgada  was 
evidenced  by  the  early  hours  kept  by  the  liberty  parties 
and  the  almost  negligible  number  of  offenders  "called 
to  the  mast"  in  the  morning. 

Shortly  after  arrival  Captain  Porterfield  had  intimated 
that  the  Venetia  had  been  scheduled  for  a  pleasant  side 
trip  to  Madeira,  which  is  always  an  interesting  recre- 
ation ground  for  the  pleasure-seeking  mariner.  But  after 
three  days  at  anchor  information  was  passed  about  that 
this  order  had  been  revoked,  and  the  Venetia  was  to 
return  at  once  to  Gibraltar  as  convoying  vessel  to 
the  American  steamers  J.  L.  Luckenbach  and  James 
Connelly. 

The  departure  was  effected  without  further  ceremony 
than  the  taking  on  of  stores  and  mail,  and  the  transfer 
to  the  Luckenbach,  for  temporary  duty,  of  an  expert 
signalman,  she  having  none  on  board.  That  night  the 
James  Connelly  signaled  that  her  steering  engines  had 
broken  down,  and,  after  an  elaborate  flashing  of  signals, 
it  was  decided  that  she  must  return  to  port,  leaving  the 
Venetia  and  Luckenbach  to  proceed  together. 


INTERESTING    DIVERGENCIES 


The  captain  told  of  many  apparently  well  grounded 
rumors  of  the  operations  of  submarines  between  the 
Azores  and  "Gib,"  and  instituted  a  system  of  zigzagging 
that  was  tiresome  to  the  idlers  and  confusing  to  the 
navigators,  although  no  doubt  quite  necessary  as  a 
precautionary  measure.  This  comprised  a  course  of 
twenty  minutes  on  one  bow,  then  a  sudden  turn  for  the 
same  space  of  time  on  the  other  bow,  with  the  Lucken- 
bach  following  nervously,  the  two  forming  a  picture 
which  one  of  the  critical  loungers  jocularly  described  as 
looking  for  all  the  world  "like  a  hen  chasing  grass- 
hoppers, with  her  one  chicken  following  her  and  neither 
catching  anything." 

This  zigzagging  continued  day  and  night  without 
interruption,  which  made  the  keeping  of  company  with 
the  convoy  an  exceedingly  difficult  matter,  owing  to  the 
confusing  camouflage  of  the  Luckenbach,  which  rendered 
it  almost  impossible  to  determine  the  course  she  was 
steering  within  twenty-five  or  thirty  degrees. 

After  four  days  of  what  one  of  the  ship's  wags  called 
"weary  wiggling,"  a  British  destroyer  appeared,  coming 
from  the  eastward,  and  reported  that  she  had  been  sent 
out  as  added  protection  to  the  Luckenbach,  submarines 
having  been  active  in  these  waters  for  several  days  past. 
But  the  Venetias  crew  heaved  sighs  of  regret  rather  than 
relief  when  Gibraltar  was  reached  without  any  incident 
that  was  not  entirely  peaceful,  save  for  the  inevitable 
police  court  ceremonies,  as  some  of  the  landsmen  called 
them,  that  are  almost  invariably  held  "at  the  mast" 
within  a  day  or  two  after  leaving  port,  for  the  disci- 
plining or  punishment  of  enlisted  men  for  infractions  of 
regulations  during  liberty  ashore. 

After  a  brief  stay  of  twenty-four  hours  in  Gibraltar, 
the  Venetia,)  H.  M.  S.  lolanda,  and  U.  S.  S.  Lydoniat 


r 


I 


\; 
i 


9 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


with  two  French  trawlers,  acted  as  escort  to  a  convoy  of 
twelve  ships  bound  for  Bizerta.  The  trip  was  without 
incident,  save  that  late  one  afternoon  the  signal 
flag  "B,"  meaning  "general  quarters,"  was  signaled 
from  the  Lydonia,  and  every  station  on  the  ship  was 
manned  for  immediate  action.  But  almost  as  suddenly 
the  excitement  faded  away  with  the  hauling  down  of  the 
signal — meaning  "nothing  doing  this  time" — and  al- 
though the  radioman  held  the  telephones  to  his  ears  for 
some  time  waiting  for  an  explanation  of  this  action, 
none  came,  either  then  or  at  any  other  time. 

Some  amusement,  rather  than  excitement,  however, 
was  created  that  night,  when  two  rifle-shots  were  fired 
at  a  French  merchantman  who  continued  the  displaying 
of  a  light  in  spite  of  the  usual  warning,  causing  shouts  of 
laughter  at  the  rapidity  with  which  the  offender  again 
shrouded  himself  in  darkness.  It  had  been  found  that 
often  a  merchantman  would  persist  in  displaying  a 
light,  perhaps  in  the  hope  that  he  might  escape  detec- 
tion; but  a  rifle-ball  or  two  whistling  through  his  lower 
rigging  never  failed  to  be  a  most  effective  rebuke  that 
was  never  disregarded. 

Bizerta  was  reached  within  the  usual  space  of  time, 
and  on  the  following  day  the  same  escorting  vessels, 
with  the  exception  of  the  two  trawlers,  headed  again  for 
the  westward,  with  a  convoy  of  twelve  ships,  nothing  of 
interest  having  happened,  except  the  laying  in  of  an 
unusual  store  of  fresh  eggs,  the  high-cost-of-living 
notions  not  having  apparently  yet  affected  the  fecundity 
of  the  Bizerta  hens  nor  the  profiteering  instincts  of  their 
owners.  The  return  to  Gibraltar  was  more  than  usually 
eventless,  for,  aside  from  the  usual  monotonous  zig- 
zagging by  day  and  the  changing  of  course  occasionally 
to  order  the  "dousing"  of  surreptitious  "glims"  at 


INTERESTING    DIVERGENCIES 


night,  the  Venetia  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  fly  after  a 
suspicious  sail  upon  signal  from  the  commodore.  The 
glasses  of  his  lookouts  had  evidently  made  her  out  to  be 
a  submarine  disguised  by  the  bending  of  a  sail  on  an 
elongated  signalmast,  a  device  becoming  more  and  more 
frequent  in  these  waters.  But  there  was  no  excitement  in 
the  brief  detour,  for  the  Venetia  boys  had  been  deceived 
in  a  similar  way  several  times  before,  and  when  she  was 
found  to  be  merely  a  small  Spanish  craft  loaded  with 
fish  there  was  the  usual  criticism  of  the  nervously  in- 
ventive visions  of  the  convoy  commander's  lookouts. 

There  were  many  letters  from  home  waiting  for  ex- 
pectant "Venetians"  on  arrival  at  Gibraltar,  and  no  one 
applied  for  liberty,  except  a  few  of  the  shore  incorrigibles, 
to  whom  "beating  it  for  the  beach"  is  a  sort  of  auto- 
matically habitual  movement,  to  be  made  each  time  the 
anchor  is  dropped,  there  being  no  existing  reason  to  ask 
for  it  nor  necessity  to  suggest  it.  Several  of  the  letters 
received  in  this  mail  were  from  mothers,  expressing 
sincere  hopes  that,  in  these  distressing  times  when  the 
to-day  never  foreshadowed  the  happenings  of  the  mor- 
row, their  carefully  trained  boys  had  not  altogether 
forgotten  their  duties  to  the  Ruler  of  all  things.  In  some 
cases  the  maternal  injunctions  had  produced  their 
intended  effect,  for,  it  being  now  a  sunny  Sabbath 
morning,  a  church  party  of  more  than  usual  size  was 
organized,  headed  by  Paymaster  Schnetzler  and  Ensign 
Howard.  During  the  service,  the  latter,  after  a  long  and 
apparently  fruitless  effort  to  render  the  mechanical 
drone  of  the  young  clergyman  into  some  form  of  com- 
prehensible language,  turned  to  "Pay"  and  asked: 
"What  language  is  the  parson  preaching  in?" 
"That's  just  what  I  was  going  to  ask  you,"  was  the 
whispered  reply. 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


"Lay  off  whispering  in  church  and  maybe  we'll  be 
able  to  get  him  later  on." 

And  when  service  was  over  and  the  two  shipmates 
resumed  their  inquiry  as  to  the  mother  tongue  of  the 
clergyman,  "Pay"  unhesitatingly  declared  that  it  was 
nothing  more  or  less  than  pure  English,  whereupon 
Howard,  who  was  still  in  doubt,  replied: 

"It  did  sound  something  like  it,  but  if  that's  pure 
English  I  think  I  prefer  the  brand  of  American  that  we 
get  at  home." 

The  next  day  was  the  Fourth  of  July,  and  it  broke  in 
depressing  silence  as  the  eight  bells  of  the  mid-watch 
sounded  and  there  were  neither  sirens,  tin  horns,  nor 
firecrackers  to  arouse  the  slumbers  of  the  patriotic.  As 
the  day  dawned,  those  on  deck  and  bridge  at  the  time 
listened  in  surprise  to  the  funereal  stillness  of  an  Ally 
town,  whose  streets  were  already  filled  with  people. 
Then  the  advisability  of  organizing  a  large  liberty  party 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  people  of  Gibraltar  what 
the  Fourth  of  July  really  meant  to  Americans  was 
seriously  discussed,  and  volunteers  were  plentiful  who 
were  willing  to  be  arrested  for  disorderly  conduct  or  the 
discharging  of  firearms  in  the  public  streets. 

But  then  came  the  voice  of  authority,  followed  by 
suggestions  from  the  more  tactful.  Not  only  had  orders 
come  for  the  departure  of  a  new  Bizerta  convoy  at  day- 
light, but,  even  if  shore  leave  were  possible,  it  would  be 
neither  good  form  nor  sense  to  remind  our  present 
venerated  allies  of  certain  past  performances  of  no  little 
historical  importance. 

This  convoy  was  one  of  nine  ships,  with  the  Venetiay 
U.  S.  S.  Wheeling,  and  British  and  French  trawlers  as 
escort.  Shortly  after  breakfast  it  was  noticed  that  the 
Venetia  was  progressing  through  a  cloud  of  black  smoke 

[.66] 


m 


>: 


INTERESTING    DIVERGENCIES 


almost  dense  enough  to  conceal  a  small  fleet.  Captain 
Porterfield  rushed  to  the  telephone  and  rang  up  the 
engine-room  with  even  more  than  his  usual  alacrity. 

"Who  gave  any  orders  for  a  smoke-screen — what's 
the  matter  down  there?" 

"  It's  that  new  Gibraltar  oil,  sir ! "  replied  the  "  Chief." 
"If  it  doesn't  get  better  we  shan't  be  able  to  make  steam." 

Then,  when  it  was  noticed  that  the  galley  funnel  was 
emitting  smaller  but  equally  dense  clouds  of  smoke, 
inquiry  developed  the  fact  that  it  was  impossible  even 
to  start  a  fire  that  would  cook  anything,  and  all  that 
day  and  night  both  wardroom  and  forecastle  were  com- 
pelled to  subsist  on  uncooked  "chow."  The  next  morning 
the  smoke  was  as  dense  as  ever,  and  the  Chief 
reported  that  he  was  unable  longer  to  continue  the 
specified  speed.  Then  came  a  peremptory  signal  from 
Captain  Osterhaus  of  the  Wheeling  to  stop  that  smoke 
or  the  convoy  would  expose  its  position  to  any  enemy 
that  might  be  lying  in  wait  for  it.  The  skipper,  ever 
ready  with  a  caustic  reply,  signaled  back  to  Osterhaus: 

"  We'll  stop  it  when  you  can  send  us  some  good  Amer- 
ican oil  in  place  of  that  Bolshevik  stuff  somebody  palmed 
off  on  us  at  Gibraltar.  We've  already  pumped  nearly 
two  thousand  gallons  overboard." 

"All  right;  do  the  best  you  can,"  was  the  reply. 

"As  if  we  didn't  always  do  that,"  thought  the  skipper. 
"No  doubt  he  thinks  we've  gone  into  mourning  for  this 
dull  Fourth  of  July." 

Careful  manipulation  of  burners  supplied  the  ship 
with  sufficient  steam  to  make  Bizerta,  but  it  was  some 
time  before  the  wardroom  teasers  ceased  twitting  the 
Chief  over  his  smoke-screen. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


AN   AMUSING    SIDE   TRIP 

WATCHERS  FROM  ALOFT— THE  DIRIGIBLE  VERSUS  THE  AIRPLANE— A 
COMPANIONABLE  FRENCHMAN— THE  DISTINGUISHING  CHARAC- 
TERISTIC OF  ARAB  TOWNS. 

S  Bizerta  was  approached,  some  of  those 
keen  watchers  from  aloft,  in  the  shape 
of  two  airplanes  and  French  dirigible 
A.T.  8 ,  appeared  from  out  of  the  mists  in 
the  direction  of  Sebra  Bay.  The  dirigible 
assumed  a  position  ahead  of  the  con- 
voy, preserving  the  same  approximate  speed,  while  the 
two  planes  made  graceful  circles  above  the  convoy,  at  an 
altitude  so  low  that  the  throbbing  of  their  engines  could 
be  distinctly  heard. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  respect  to  the  value  of 
these  vastly  varying  pilots  of  the  air  in  safeguarding  a 
convoy  from  attack  from  afar,  because  of  their  widely 
spreading  range  of  vision,  which  is  much  more  than 
twice  as  far-reaching  as  any  that  is  possible  from  the 
bridge  or  crow's-nest  of  a  ship.  Then  too,  except  when  at 
too  great  an  altitude,  it  is  often  an  easy  matter  to  detect 
the  outlines  of  a  submerged  U-boat  far  below  the  surface, 
something  that  is  never  possible  from  the  deck  of  a 
vessel,  where  the  vision  is  a  glancing  one  that  does  not 
penetrate  through  a  single  ripple  of  the  sea. 

[168] 


AN    AMUSING    SIDE    TRIP 


Again  there  arose  an  oft-repeated  discussion  among 
careful  observers  as  to  the  relative  merits  of  the  two 
systems  of  aerial  navigation,  and  each  had  its  sup- 
porters. Some  declared  distinctly  in  favor  of  the  airplane 
because  of  its  superior  speed;  others  held  as  closely  to 
the  dirigible  because  of  its  greater  cruising  radius,  while 
the  adherents  to  the  rules  of  safety  first  preferred  the 
lighter- than-air  machine  because  a  collapsing  wing  or  a 
rebellious  motor  could  not  make  a  sudden  plunge  into 
the  sea  inevitable.  Opinions  seemed  to  be  equally  divided 
as  to  the  relative  efficiency  of  the  two  systems,  so  the 
verbal  contest  was  eventually  decided  as  are  boxing 
bouts  where  a  decision  is  difficult.  A  draw  was  declared: 
the  dirigible  was  the  safer  guide  for  a  convoy,  while  the 
airplane  would  prove  infinitely  more  aggressive  and  far- 
reaching  as  a  defender. 

Sebra  Bay  was  reached  with  an  utter  absence  of 
interest,  for  it  had  gotten  to  be  an  old  story,  owing  to 
the  great  number  of  Bizerta-Gibraltar  convoys  in  which 
the  Venetia  had  been  a  doughty  policewoman,  or,  to 
more  delicately  express  it,  a  protectress.  On  leaving 
Gibraltar,  however,  there  had  been  rumors  spread  to 
the  effect  that  a  change  of  route  for  the  future  was  en- 
tirely probable,  and  those  of  the  ship's  company  who 
had  decided  to  combine  routine  duties  with  side  trips 
ashore  began  to  discuss  such  possibilities  as  might  be 
interesting  in  that  direction. 

Bizerta  itself  had  been  learned  by  heart  from  every 
viewpoint,  and  was  now  "stale,  flat,  and  unprofitable." 
The  cafes  had  lost  whatever  modicum  of  charm  they 
once  seemed  to  offer,  because  their  habituees  were  on 
terms  of  at  least  nodding  acquaintance  with  nearly 
everyone  on  board,  and  now  seemed  to  regard  with 
languorous  indifference  the  cap-ribbons  bearing  the 


V    E    N    E  A 


name  U.  S.  S.  Venetia.  The  shopkeepers  even,  having 
learned  by  oft-repeated  experiment  whom  they  could 
"trim"  the  easier,  were  courteous  only  to  those  par- 
ticular individuals  and  welcomed  them  with  open  arms, 
while  they  calmly  smoked  their  pipes  and  cigarettes, 
regarding  all  others  with  utter  disdain.  The  French  and 
Arab  maidens  now  lavished  such  of  their  smiles  as  were 
alluring  upon  newer  comers,  probably  because  they  had 
learned  to  distinguish  the  difference  between  the 
amateur  jacky  who  had  left  a  family  behind  him  and 
the  professional  one  to  whom  family  is  merely  a  side 
issue  not  to  be  made  a  dampener  of  such  association  or 
pastime  as  might  offer  itself  during  shore  liberty. 

The  environs  of  Bizerta,  however,  had  not  as  yet 
been  explored,  and  were  said  to  offer  many  points  of 
interest  well  worth  a  visit.  Having  been  deceived  before 
by  the  assurances  of  clever  and  altogether  biased 
regional  boomers,  it  was  decided  to  await  a  report  from 
a  group  of  venturesome  pioneers,  then  in  process  of 
organization.  This  was  composed  of  Paymaster  Schnetz- 
ler,  Lieutenants  Armstrong  and  De  Camp,  and  Ensign 
Howard,  self-appointed  pathfinders  to  blaze  a  trail 
toward  pastures  new  to  be  invaded  during  possible 
future  visits  to  Bizerta;  that  bailiwick  having  been 
definitely  set  down  as  being  a  dead  one  in  so  far  as  local 
attractiveness  was  concerned. 

There  were  openly  expressed  regrets  on  the  part  of 
most  of  the  pathfinders  as  the  intrepid  group  appeared 
at  the  railway  station  to  board  the  4:30  train  for  Tunis. 
The  waiting-room  was  stuffy  and  dirty,  the  prospective 
passengers  dirtier  still,  and  the  railway  carriages  ghastly 
ruins  when  placed  in  comparison  with  the  most  vener- 
able rolling  stock  of  the  poorest  equipped  railway  in  the 
United  States. 


\ 


THE  PARK,  BIZERTA 


MARKET-PLACE,   BIZERTA 


AN    AMUSING    SIDE    TRIP 


"If  this  bus  is  any  reflection  of  the  policies  of  govern- 
ment ownership,"  said  one  of  them  as  the  already 
disgusted  group  climbed  into  the  poorly  ventilated 
compartment,  "I'm  for  handing  the  American  railroads 
back  to  the  companies  right  away." 

The  motion  was  carried  without  debate;  and  after 
a  confusion  of  official  voices  on  the  platform,  the  slam- 
ming of  the  compartment  door,  the  snorting  of  a  long- 
unwashed  little  locomotive,  and  the  shrill  shriek  of  its 
piccolo  whistle,  the  train  pulled  away  and  began  to 
maintain  a  speed  not  appreciably  greater  than  that  of  a 
loaded  army  truck. 

The  pathfinders  were  somewhat  pleased  to  note  that 
they  were  not  alone  in  the  compartment,  for  above  the 
brass-besprinkled  dress  uniform  of  the  French  Navy 
there  beamed  the  countenance  of  a  dapper  little  officer — 
apparently  of  the  rank  of  assistant  surgeon — which  had 
stamped  upon  it  all  of  the  marks  of  gentleness,  which 
seems  always  to  be  the  prevailing  characteristic  of  such 
part  of  his  race  as  knows  how  to  be  polite. 

After  the  usually  desultory  conversation,  touching 
upon  scenery  and  the  like,  together  with  the  obvious 
remarks  regarding  the  indolence  and  evident  squalor  of 
the  entire  North  African  population,  there  came  an 
interrupting  query  from  the  little  Frenchman: 

"Pardon,  messieurs.  T  a-t-il  quelqu'un  id  qui  parle 
fran$ais?" 

The  fact  that  none  of  the  Americans  possessed  more 
than  a  mere  smattering  of  the  Gallic  tongue  was  duly 
communicated;  but,  not  to  be  put  aside  through  lack  of 
any  effort  of  his  own,  the  stranger  persisted  in  becoming 
acquainted  by  the  more  encouraging  statement: 

"Eh  bien,  but — eef  you  please — I  can  to  spik 
Inglees." 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


This  claim  was  far  from  correct,  as  the  reader  may 
already  have  divined  to  his  own  satisfaction.  Neverthe- 
less, it  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  labored  precise- 
ness  of  his  diction,  together  with  its  elaborateness  of 
pantomime,  made  him  quite  intelligible  and  he  was  at 
once  made  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  Americans, 
after  a  more  or  less  intricate  process  of  introduction. 

With  increasing  volubility  in  the  delivery  of  what  he 
believed  to  be  "Inglees,"  he  confided  to  the  now  deeply 
amused  "Venetians"  that  he  was  a  doctor  in  the  French 
Navy,  on  leave,  and  about  to  visit  a  relative  in  Tunis. 
He  was  deeply  grateful  to  have  been  so  soon  placed  on 
terms  of  intimacy  with  officers  of  the  great  navy  that 
had  crossed  the  seas  to  the  succor  of  his  bleeding  country, 
and  forthwith  appointed  himself  as  guide  and  courier, 
to  conduct  them  personally  through  the  highways  and 
byways  of  Tunis,  all  of  which  he  had  traversed  many 
times. 

The  acquaintance  ripened  into  something  like  boon 
companionship  during  the  three  and  a  half  hours  con- 
sumed in  the  run  to  Tunis,  and  his  earnest  efforts  to 
master  the  American  songs  "Uncle  Sammy"  and  "Hail, 
Hail,  the  Gang's  All  Here"  struck  the  American  sense  of 
the  ridiculous  as  being  side-splitting  to  a  degree  that 
shoved  the  proverbial  box  of  monkeys  far  into  the  shade. 

On  arrival  at  Tunis,  "Doc" — a  sobriquet  which 
offered  him  the  most  intense  amusement — detected  his 
relative  anxiously  waiting  for  him  and  at  once  confided 
what  he  had  decided  to  do: 

"Eef  he  shall  not  saw  me  he  shall  not  know  zat  I  veel 
come.  I  veel  find  heem  to-morrow,  but  to-night  I  am  for 
you.  You  veel  find  me  on  ze  ozzaire  side  of  la  gare." 
And,  turning  the  cold  shoulder  to  his  waiting  relative, 
he  managed  to  lose  himself  in  the  crowd  and  was  soon 

[»7a] 


G    SIDE    TRIP 


seen  hurrying  into  concealment  behind  the  railway 
station,  to  be  soon  joined  by  his  new  acquaintances, 
who  were  already  deeply  appreciative  of  his  preference 
for  their  company. 

The  "Doc"  soon  established  himself  among  the 
Americans  as  being  not  only  an  amusing  companion  but 
a  tower  of  strength  as  a  courier  and  purchasing  commis- 
sioner. His  extreme  volubility  of  speech,  tinctured  with 
innumerable  faux  pas  in  the  struggle  with  a  language 
almost  entirely  foreign  to  him,  made  him  a  continuous 
performance  in  vaudeville,  while  his  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  city,  its  hotel,  and  its  shopkeepers  quickly  un- 
masked the  interesting  places  of  the  one  and  disarmed 
the  cupidity  of  the  others.  He  was  extremely  liberal  too, 
a  fact  deeply  appreciated  by  the  Americans,  for  it 
should  be  known  that  the  pay  of  officers  in  the  French 
Navy  is  relatively  a  mere  pittance  in  comparison  with 
that  of  our  own. 

The  sightseer  at  once  clothes  Tunis  with  the  dignity 
of  a  real  city,  which  is  scarcely  possible  in  defining  the 
rank  of  Bizerta.  It  has  many  more  and  vastly  better 
hotels  than  its  smaller  rival,  and  while  its  streets  are  no 
cleaner,  or  less  malodorous,  its  examples  of  Moorish 
architecture  are  more  numerous  and  its  slums  more 
intricate  and  noisome.  This  is  scarcely  complimentary 
to  a  city  of  minarets,  domes,  and  gracefully  waving 
palms  which  seems  so  poetically  beautiful  in  photo- 
graphs taken  from  distant  points  of  vantage;  but  the 
truth  may  as  well  be  told,  for  these  cities  are  all  alike 
when  considered  from  a  purely  sanitary  point  of  view. 

The  dinner  at  the  hotel,  with  the  "Doc"  as  caterer, 
was  almost  a  revelation  in  gastronomy,  and  the  adjourn- 
ment to  the  open-air  street  cafe  for  coffee  disclosed  a 
strange  pageant  of  motley  humanity,  a  very  small  per- 

['73] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


centage  of  which  seemed  to  have  the  slightest  notion 
that  a  great  war  was  in  progress  at  so  short  a  distance 
beyond  the  northern  sky-line.  In  the  evening  several 
"shows"  were  visited,  most  of  which  seemed  still  to  cling 
to  the  "  hootchee-kootchee"  dance  for  their  principal 
attraction,  and  then  came  an  exhaustive  inspection  of 
the  sordid  squalor  of  night  life  in  the  Tunisian  slums, 
which  was  not  terminated  until  3  A.M. 

At  the  hotel  the  "Doc"  was  most  effusive  in  his 
regrets  over  the  abrupt  ending  of  an  acquaintance  which 
might  easily  have  become  a  lasting  friendship  but  for 
the  exigencies  of  the  war  and  the  inevitable  deterrent  of 
distance.  No  doubt  some  knowledge  that  an  expression 
of  welcome  or  farewell  by  a  kiss  upon  both  cheeks  is  not 
a  custom  among  American  men  prompted  the  little 
"Doc"  to  forego  that  -form  of  salute.  But,  after  effu- 
sively, and  almost  hysterically,  grasping  his  grateful 
guests  by  the  hand,  he  said: 

"For  all  my — heart  I  weesh — I  can  to  say  au  revoir, 
but  I  am  moch  to  be — afraid  it  must  to  have  been — 
adieu — adieu!" 

It  was  confidently  expected  that  the  "Doc"  would  be 
at  the  6:45  tram  m  the  morning.  But  when  it  drew  out  of 
the  station  with  him  nowhere  in  sight,  it  was  generally 
believed  that  possibly  he  had  been  sorely  chided  by  his 
relative  for  the  neglect  of  the  evening  before,  and  was 
now  doing  penance  for  it  by  a  somewhat  similar  slight 
to  his  newer  and  less-lasting  friends. 


[174] 


BAB-BENAT  GATE,  TUNIS 


BARRACKS  AT  TUNIS 


CHAPTER  XXVII 


THRILLING    DAYS    AGAIN 

UNEVENTFUL  RETURN  TO  GIBRALTAR— THE  "vENETIA"  IS  TRANS- 
FERRED TO  THE  GENOA  CONVOY  ROUTE— TWO  DAYS  OF  EXCITE- 
MENT—A FUSILLADE  OF  DEPTH  CHARGES— TWO  FREIGHTERS 
TORPEDOED. 

HE  Tunisian  pathfinders  returned  to  the 
ship,  after  a  hot  and  dusty  ride  through 

Tthe  early  morning  hours,  to  find  that  a 
wm  convoy  of  seven  ships,  mostly  loaded 

with  vegetables,  was  waiting  for  escort 
to  Gibraltar.  They  were  closely  ques- 
tioned by  their  wardroom  mates  as  to  the  advisability  of 
making  a  liberty  jaunt  to  Tunis  in  the  event  of  a  return 
to  Bizerta.  But  while  the  report  rendered  by  them  was 
flattering  in  the  extreme,  a  reading  between  its  lines 
offered  ample  proof  that  any  repetition  of  the  outing 
would  not  justify  the  expense  of  it,  in  the  absence  of 
some  person  who  would  be  competent  to  replace  the 
"little  French  Doc." 

The  run  of  four  and  a  half  days  to  Gibraltar  had  in  it 
no  outboard  incident  to  disturb  its  zigzaggy  monotony, 
except  on  the  second  day  out,  when  a  signal  from  the 
flagship  directed  the  Venetia  to  investigate  a  suspicious- 
looking  object  that  had  been  sighted  by  one  of  the 
merchantmen  and  its  location  verified  by  a  dirigible 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


that  had  come  out  of  Algiers  to  act  as  the  "watchful 
eye"  of  the  convoy.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  miser- 
able quality  of  the  oil,  which  was  worse  in  Bizerta  than 
that  obtained  in  Gibraltar,  rendered  it  impossible  to 
retain  any  uniform  pressure  in  the  boilers,  this  bellig- 
erent detour  was  accepted  without  complaint,  except 
from  the  chief  engineer,  whose  objections,  however 
pyrotechnically  emphatic,  were  not  conveyed  to  the 
captain. 

This  digression  from  the  routine  formation  proved  to 
be  another  of  those  precautionary  wild-goose  chases. 
Nothing  was  found  in  the  direction  indicated,  and  it  was 
generally  conceded  that,  if  there  had  been  an  enemy 
submarine  there,  he  was  not  of  the  kind  to  "stand  out 
and  fight  in  the  open,"  so  had  discretely  submerged. 

All  the  way  to  Gibraltar  the  fuel  oil  gave  constant 
trouble,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  foresight  that  had 
installed  a  capacious  "steamer"  in  the  galley,  all  hands 
would  have  been  compelled  to  subsist  on  cold  "chow," 
for  the  range  positively  refused  to  burn.  An  officer  who 
came  on  deck  immediately  after  one  of  Chief  Perry's 
splenetic  criticisms  of  both  French  and  English  oil 
profiteering  reported  that  had  his  last  outburst  been 
conveyed  to  the  home  governments  there  must  have 
resulted  either  his  "resignation  for  the  good  of  the 
service"  or  a  severance  of  friendly  relations  between 
those  countries  and  the  United  States. 

On  arrival  at  the  "Rock"  it  was  learned  that  at  last 
the  Venetia  was  to  be  transferred  to  another  convoy 
route,  which  was  to  be  the  vastly  more  interesting,  and 
no  doubt  equally  exciting,  one  to  Genoa,  Italy.  To  give 
added  significance  to  this  news  rumors  were  heard  to 
the  effect  that  "The  Painted  Siren  of  Babylon"  had 
become  accredited  with  the  enviable  reputation  of  being 


THRILLING    DAYS    AGAIN 


altogether  the  real  fighting  ship  in  any  escort  of  which 
she  had  formed  a  part.  Then  too,  the  belief  that  the 
Venetia  would  soon  be  acclaimed  as  the  true  avenger  of 
the  Lusifania,  in  disabling  the  submarine  U-39,  was 
gradually  gaining  ground,  and  proofs  of  that  glorious 
achievement  must  soon  be  forthcoming.  These  proofs, 
however,  not  having  yet  lifted  the  story  out  of  the 
realm  of  common  gossip,  and  since  no  second  conference 
had  been  called  to  determine  the  truth  or  falsity  of  it, 
the  Venetia  took  her  place  at  the  "fighting  end"  of  the 
first  Gibraltar-Genoa  convoy,  of  twelve  ships,  with 
every  man  aboard  of  her,  from  captain  to  oilers,  morally 
certain  that  these  gratifying  rumors  were  utterly  un- 
deniable. 

There  were  now  two  passengers  aboard,  which  fact 
again  provided  the  wardroom  with  the  ever-welcome 
appearance  at  the  mess  of  new  faces.  These  were  Sur- 
geons C.  H.  Weaver  and  G.  S.  Phillips,  U.  S.  N.,  on 
leave  and  bound  for  Genoa,  and  it  is  no  stricture  upon 
the  personal  charm  of  comrades  of  long  standing  to  con- 
fess that  there  is  much  relief  in  finding  stranger  smiles 
and  newer  voices  to  salute  and  return  in  the  morning 
across  the  breakfast-table,  in  place  of  the  usual  per- 
functory salutation,  if  indeed  there  be  any  at  all. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  morning  meal  is  often 
begun  and  dispatched  m  grim  silence,  except  when  the 
commanding  officer  is  in  the  mood  for  conversation  or 
instruction,  and  as  a  rule  the  seeming  impoliteness  is, 
after  all,  excusable.  The  hours  of  sleep  are  brief  enough 
at  the  best;  but  when  one  of  these  is  broken  by  the  un- 
necessary clatter  of  dishes,  or  chatter  of  garrulous  ship- 
mates in  the  adjoining  cabin,  some  sort  of  a  breakfast- 
table  "grouch"  becomes  a  certainty. 

On  the  second  day  out  a  radio  message  was  picked  up 

[177] 


IfiJ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


warning  all  guard-ships  to  be  ready  for  immediate  ac- 
tion, as  two  submarines  had  been  sighted  some  miles 
ahead  of  the  convoy.  Any  caution  of  this  nature  was 
scarcely  necessary  on  board  of  the  Venetia,  for  her  skip- 
per had  already  satisfied  himself  that  all  guns  were 
loaded  and  "sure  fire,"  likewise  that  the  detonating 
pistols  and  launching  gear  of  the  depth  charges  would 
be  ready  when  wanted.  The  submarines  failed  to  ap- 
proach within  fighting  distance  during  all  of  that  night 
and  the  next  day.  But  on  the  day  following,  shortly  after 
sunset,  that  deadly  muffled  report  and  column  of  black- 
ened spray  alongside  of  the  British  S.  S.  Messidor  con- 
veyed the  intelligence  that  she  had  been  fatally  struck, 
and  then  soon  followed  the  fateful  message  to  the  effect 
that  she  was  sinking  and  needed  immediate  assistance. 

Lieutenant  Mangan,  who  was  on  watch,  sounded 
"general  quarters"  and  signaled  the  engine-room  for 
full  speed  ahead.  The  Venetia  plunged  into  the  gathering 
darkness  with  every  man  at  his  post  and  Gunner  Jacobus 
at  the  launching  gear  of  the  depth  charges  awaiting  the 
order  to  "launch  away."  This  soon  came,  for  the  ship 
was  now  within  the  calculated  area  of  the  submarine's 
action,  and  the  first  charge  exploded  so  close  to  the 
stern  that  everyone  forward  believed  she  had  surely 
been  torpedoed.  But  reassurance  came  with  the  launch- 
ing of  more  charges  so  rapidly  that,  in  considerably  less 
than  twenty  minutes,  twelve  of  them  had  churned  the 
black  waters  into  a  mass  of  writhing  foam. 

Sharp  eyes  and  keen  visions  peered  long  into  the  night 
for  the  signs  of  another  enemy  destroyed.  But  none 
appearing,  attention  was  paid  to  the  sinking  Messidor^ 
which  suddenly  dived  out  of  sight  at  10:40,  and  all  but 
one  of  her  crew  of  thirty-four  were  saved  by  the  British 
trawler  Kadania.  It  was  learned  that  this  single  fatality 


DESTRUCTION 


EXPIATION 


THRILLING    DAYS    AGAIN 


was  a  fireman,  who  must  have  been  killed  on  the  first 
impact  of  the  torpedo,  for  his  vessel  was  struck  immedi- 
ately under  the  boilers,  and  it  was  most  fortunate  that 
her  entire  engine-room  force  had  not  met  a  similar  fate. 

The  Venetia  was  now  many  miles  astern  of  her  defen- 
sive position  off  the  starboard  quarter  of  the  convoy — 
which  of  course  was  not  anywhere  in  sight — and  while 
in  search  of  it  an  inspection  was  made  of  the  stern  to 
determine  what  damage,  if  any,  had  been  caused  by  the 
close  inboard  explosions  of  her  own  depth  charges. 
Fortunately,  however,  the  damage  to  the  hull  was  not 
serious  enough  to  create  any  alarm;  but  the  shock  in 
itself  was  so  severe  as  to  crack  mirrors  and  jar  away  the 
tiling  in  bathrooms  and  about  the  wardroom  fireplace. 
The  ship  was  now  "secured  from  general  quarters," 
and  all  on  board,  save  only  those  in  the  routine  watches, 
retired  to  dream  of  another  possible  destruction  of  an 
enemy  submarine,  and  to  record  in  their  memories  one 
more  night  battle  bravely  fought  by  their  now  more 
than  ever  beloved  Venetia. 

At  daylight  the  next  morning  before  the  ship  had 
overhauled  the  convoy,  there  were  sounds  of  heavy 
cannonading  ahead,  which  continued  for  many  minutes, 
and  there  were  many  pangs  of  disappointment  because 
another  opportunity  for  added  glory  must  have  been 
missed.  Just  before  the  convoy  was  reached,  the  firing 
ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  begun,  and  when  the 
Venetia  had  returned  to  her  formation  position,  it  was 
discovered  that  the  supposed  naval  battle  had  been 
precipitated  by  a  false  alarm  that  had  plunged  every 
vessel  of  the  convoy  into  a  panicky  cannonading. 

The  presence  of  one  or  more  submarines  was  known, 
because  during  the  night  the  S.  S.  Rutlinglin  had  been 
torpedoed  and  sank  in  twenty  minutes. 


At  daylight  one  of  the  ships — naturally  a  merchant- 
man— had  signaled  that  a  submarine  had  been  sighted 
close  by,  and  immediately  began  firing.  Then  followed 
perhaps  a  hundred  shots  or  more,  discharged  at  nothing 
but  their  wakes  or  innocent  porpoises,  a  large  school  of 
which  was  passing  at  the  time.  This  decidedly  sham 
battle  caused  considerable  amusement  in  the  convoy 
when  the  several  accounts  were  radioed  about  from  ship 
to  ship,  and  one  account .  was  to  the  effect  that  the 
Wenonah  had  fired  several  shots  into  her  own  wake.  This 
latter  story  may  be  with  safety  set  down  as  being  alto- 
gether authentic,  since  it  was  duly  recorded  in  the 
official  deck  log  of  the  Venetia  and  commented  upon  at 
length  in  the  diaries  of  two  of  the  officers. 

Early  in  the  forenoon  of  the  next  day  two  French 
trawlers  hove  in  sight  at  such  a  rate  of  speed  for  vessels 
of  that  class  and  build  that  for  a  time  they  were  mis- 
taken for  enemy  gunboats.  But  when  their  signals  were 
made  out  and  the  reason  for  their  hasty  approach  duly 
wigwagged,  it  developed  that  they  had  been  sent  to 
escort  two  of  the  merchantmen  into  Marseilles.  The 
detaching  of  the  two  vessels  was  effected  without  any 
further  ceremony  than  their  turning  out  of  formation 
and  proceeding  to  the  north  without  even  displaying  a 
good-bye  pennant. 

The  interest  attendant  upon  this  purely  perfunctory 
ceremony  was  now  diverted  toward  two  destroyers 
approaching  the  convoy  from  the  direction  of  the  Italian 
coast.  They  proved  to  be  under  the  flag  of  our  Roman 
allies,  and  since  the  convoy  had  already,  in  the  opinion 
of  those  most  concerned,  been  provided  with  adequate 
protection,  the  new  arrivals  were  regarded  as  having 
been  politely  dispatched  by  the  Italian  authorities  to 
escort  the  Venetia  and  her  less  important  assistants  to 

[180] 


THRILLING    DAYS    AGAIN 


the  enviably  historic  port  of  Genoa  for  the  first 
time. 

There  was  a  real  thrill  of  excitement  again  that  after- 
noon when,  during  luncheon,  "general  quarters"  was 
sounded  and  gastronomic  activities  were  suspended  for 
those  of  promised  warfare.  Three  merchantmen  were 
signaling  the  presence  of  a  close-by  submarine,  and 
Captain  Porterfield  mechanically  lifted  his  binoculars 
to  make  out  the  usual  signal,  "Venetia  will  proceed  to 
investigate  ahead,"  or,  to  employ  the  vernacular  of  the 
forecastle,  "Get  busy  and  bag  that  sub." 

The  expected  signal  was  already  floating  from  the 
halliards  of  the  flagship,  and  the  Venetia  appeared 
jauntier  than  ever  in  her  response  as  she  proceeded  in 
the  direction  signaled,  to  find  that  she  had  again  been 
dispatched  to  establish  that  some  characteristically 
hysterical  merchantman  had  perpetrated  another  false 
alarm. 


m 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

GENOA  TO   GIBRALTAR 
'DOING"  THE  BIRTHPLACE  OF  COLUMBUS— VARIED  IMPRESSIONS— A 

GALE  IN  THE   GULF  OF   LYONS  — CHANGE   OF   COMMANDERS. 

HORTLY  after  sunrise  on  July  26,  the 
justly  famed  and  truly  beautiful  harbor 
of  Genoa  was  entered  with  the  convoy 
in  a  long,  single-line  formation,  many 
miles  in  length  owing  to  the  narrowness 
H  of  the  entrance  channel  and  the  con- 
gested condition  of  the  mooring  places,  for  there  are  no 
anchorages  where  a  vessel  may  "drop  her  hook"  and 
swing  to  and  fro  with  the  tide.  It  was  so  crowded  with 
all  types  of  marine  craft,  lying  close  together,  that  one  of 
the  men,  who  hailed  from  Alameda,  compared  it  with 
the  lying-in  basin  of  Oakland  Creek,  during  the  idle 
months,  when  all  the  Alaska  salmon  fleet,  sealing  and 
whaling  vessels  are  in  winter  quarters  there.  More  than 
two  hours  were  consumed  in  stretching  cables  from  bow 
and  stern  to  the  bow  or  stern  of  the  nearest  vessel,  and 
even  then  the  mooring  was  not  free,  for  the  U.  S.  S. 
Wenonah  was  secured  alongside  of  the  Venetia. 

While  this  was  not  comfortable,  or  quite  safe  in  the 
estimations  of  those  who  had  previously  supposed  that 
free  and  unrestricted  anchorage  was  necessary  to 
berthing  comfort,  it  provided  a  close  neighbor  for  the 

[181] 


GENOA    TO    GIBRALTAR 


Venetian  humorists.  These  bantering  souls  neglected  no 
opportunity  to  crack  jokes  over  the  sudden  attack  of 
hysteria  that  fell  upon  the  Wenonah  on  the  morning  of 
the  24th,  when  she  mistook  her  own  wake  for  that  of  an 
enemy  submarine  and  venomously  discharged  into  it 
many  precious  projectiles  from  her  three-inch  guns.  It 
was  noted  that  the  replies  to  these  sallies  were  neither 
courteous  nor  polite,  indicating  a  strangely  unreceptive 
sense  of  humor  on  the  part  of  the  WenonaHs  crew. 
Therefore,  during  the  rest  of  the  twenty-four-hour  stay 
in  Genoa,  communication  between  the  two  vessels  was 
confined  to  mere  nodded  salutations  or  desultory  con- 
versation on  subjects  not  so  provocative  of  ridicule. 

The  knowledge  that  the  stay  in  Genoa  must  be  very 
brief,  lasting  only  until  the  following  morning,  made 
applications  for  shore  liberty  very  numerous.  The 
streets  of  the  home  town  of  Columbus  were  soon  filled 
with  sightseeing  officers  and  sailors  in  the  American 
uniform,  bent  variously  upon  a  change  of  food  in  its 
many  excellent  cafes,  visits  to  its  numerous  points  of 
interest,  or  mental  relaxation  in  its  theatres  and  moving- 
picture  houses.  The  magnificent  Columbus  monument 
was  visited  first  in  most  instances,  perhaps  out  of  re- 
spect for  the  prevailing  Italian  notion  that  but  for  Italy 
and  her  adventurous  son  America  would  up  to  this  very 
day  be  peopled  by  her  aboriginal  races.  If  at  that  mo- 
ment the  men  from  the  Venetia  had  been  on  a  sightseeing 
jaunt  in  Florence,  however,  true  Florentine  eloquence 
would  no  doubt  have  so  assailed  their  sentimental 
beliefs  that,  after  being  shown  the  alleged  former  resi- 
dence of  one  Amerigo  Vespucci,  they  must  willy-nilly 
give  credence  to  the  claim  that  to  Florence,  and  not 
Genoa,  must  be  accorded  the  glory  of  having  through  a 
favored  son  won  the  distinction  of  being  alone  respon- 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


sible  for  having  placed  the  Western  Hemisphere  on  the 
map  of  the  world.  Such  is  fame,  and  so  are  the  confusing 
differences  of  opinion  in  the  writing  of  medieval  history! 

The  point  of  interest  which  attracted  the  most  atten- 
tion, and  which  is  the  one  almost  invariably  first  visited 
by  the  sojourner  in  Genoa,  was  of  course  that  singular 
admixture  of  art  and  artifice  known  as  the  Public 
Cemetery.  Here,  above  the  graves  of  venerated  dead, 
have  been  erected  some  of  the  best  examples  of  modern 
sculpture,  to  be  almost  submerged  in  the  mass  of  con- 
glomerate crudity  which  mechanically  betrays,  ac- 
cording to  the  tastes  or  beliefs  of  the  builders,  the 
different  stages  of  gloom  and  adulation. 

This  was,  naturally  enough,  the  principal  topic  of 
discussion  on  the  deck  of  the  Venetia  that  night  before 
"Taps,"  and  while  the  criticisms  were  numerous  and 
strangely  varied,  the  prevailing  impression  seemed  to  be 
to  the  effect  that  the  Genoese  graveyard  is  the  most 
surprising  art  exhibition  in  all  the  world,  which  it  cer- 
tainly is.  There  were  other  criticisms,  too,  and  few  of 
them  altogether  complimentary  to  the  much-vaunted 
fame  of  the  city  where  Columbus  was  probably  born, 
but  which  utterly  withheld  its  admiration  until  he  had 
done  something  worth  while  under  the  more  speculative 
standard  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 

One  enthusiastic  exponent  of  the  virtues  of  spaghetti 
as  a  nutritious  article  of  diet  complained  that  in  several 
places  he  had  inquired  for  his  favorite  food  in  vain.  He 
had  gone  ashore  full  of  a  long-unfulfilled  ambition  to 
feast  upon  the  "Wop's  indispensable  dish  in  the  Wop's 
own  land."  But  nobody  seemed  to  know  what  spaghetti 
meant,  and  he  was  compelled  to  satisfy  his  appetite  with 
some  other  form  of  pasta,  prepared  after  a  fashion  not  to 
be  at  all  placed  in  favorable  comparison  with  the  old- 

[184] 


GENOA    TO    GIBRALTAR 


familiar  spaghetti  to  be  had  at  all  times  in  restaurants 
at  the  foot  of  Telegraph  Hill  in  San  Francisco  for  the 
small  sum  of  twenty-five  cents. 

There  were  emphatic  complaints,  too,  from  those  who 
had  gone  ashore  determined  to  disagree  with  Secretary 
Daniels  in  his  ideas  as  to  what  forms  of  beverages  should 
be  used  in  the  navy.  Sweet  vermouth  and  sour  wine 
seemed  to  be  the  only  drinks  to  be  had  for  a  price  com- 
mensurate with  the  pay  of  a  sailor,  while  the  vini 
spumenti,  as  Italian  champagnes  are  called,  were  too 
expensive,  and  the  brandies  so  full  of  "kick"  as  to 
render  the  "call  to  the  mast"  almost  inevitable  on  the 
following  morning. 

For  reasons  best  known  to  themselves,  the  reported 
impressions  of  the  officers  following  their  first  visit  to 
Genoa  were  almost  unanimously  flattering,  and  most  of 
them  felt  tinges  of  regret  in  contemplation  of  their 
return  to  Gibraltar  on  the  following  morning,  with  a 
possibility  of  Bizerta  revisited  in  prospect.  In  explana- 
tion of  this  favorable  impression  of  Genoa,  however,  it 
should  be  said  that  such  of  the  officers  as  made  the  tour 
of  the  city  were,  as  a  rule,  guided  about  and  financially 
managed  by  Lieutenant  Krump,  of  the  Red  Cross,  who 
had  all  the  sights  worth  seeing  at  his  finger-tips,  could 
speak  Italian  fluently,  and  disarmed  the  gouging  pro- 
clivities of  the  cafe  proprietors  by  making  preliminary 
dickers  for  supplies  that  in  most  cases  gave  the  pur- 
chaser decidedly  the  best  of  it. 

These  "shore  feeds"  were  almost  invariably  managed 
on  the  "Dutch  treat"  principle,  share  and  share  alike 
for  everything  consumed.  This  system  had  already 
gained  many  converts  away  from  the  hospitable  but 
often  burdensome  American  habit  of  indiscriminate 
treating,  which  permits  the  remittance  man  to  flaunt  his 


I 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


\ 


wealth  ostentatiously,  while  it  keeps  the  depender  upon 
pay  always  in  debt  or  in  danger  of  being  included  on  the 
list  of  the  penurious. 

At  9:30  on  the  following  morning  Genoa  was  cleared 
with  a  convoy  of  twenty  ships  bound  for  Gibraltar,  and 
the  Venetia  in  the  scouting  and  fighting  position  astern. 
The  night  passed  without  incident,  but  the  next  day  was 
marked  by  a  more  than  ordinarily  stiff  gale  in  crossing 
the  Gulf  of  Lyons,  which  soon  placed  the  hitherto 
regularly  formed  convoy  in  such  hopeless  confusion  that 
its  lost  members  were  not  found  and  guided  back  into 
their  stations  for  twenty-four  hours.  The  safety-rail  of 
the  maintop  crow's-nest  was  carried  away  during  the 
night,  so  the  service  of  a  lookout  in  that  station  was 
necessarily  dispensed  with  until  it  could  be  repaired 
when  daylight  should  serve. 

The  only  other  damage  sustained  during  this  stormy 
passage  of  the  Gulf  of  Lyons — which  many  mariners 
have  termed  "Biscay  the  Second" — was  reported  the 
next  day  when  the  flagship  signaled  the  Venetia  to  stand 
by  her,  as  she  had  broken  down.  The  convoy  proceeded 
on  its  way  half  protected  until  hasty  repairs  could  be 
made  to  the  flagship's  engines,  when  it  was  soon  over- 
taken, and  Gibraltar  reached  on  the  following  morning 
without  further  mishap  of  any  kind  and  no  ceremony 
except  the  usual  setting  of  the  ship's  clocks  an  hour 
ahead. 

Greenwich  mean  time  (G.  M.  T.)  is  always  used  at 
sea,  while  the  clocks  are  changed  to  shore  time  on  en- 
tering a  port.  To  illustrate  this  almost  daily  changing 
of  time  on  some  runs,  be  it  said  that  in  both  Genoa  and 
Bizerta  the  shore  time  is  two  hours  ahead  of  G.  M.  T. 
during  the  summer,  and  an  hour  ahead  in  the  winter,  as 
at  these  ports  they  use  Central  Europe  time. 

[186] 


THE  TRANSFER  OF   COMMANDERS 


GENOA    TO    GIBRALTAR 


On  the  day  after  arrival  in  Gibraltar  (August  2)  much 
surprise  was  created  by  the  announcement  that  Captain 
Porterfield,  who  had  so  ably  commanded  the  Venetia 
during  the  most  exacting  incidents  of  her  career,  was  to 
be  detached  to  command  the  U.  S.  S.  Wheeling,  being 
replaced  by  Captain  Charles  F.  Howell,  who  had  gained 
an  enviable  reputation  through  many  years  of  service  in 
the  U.  S.  Coast  Guard.  Whether  the  change  was  made 
"for  the  good  of  the  service"  or  effected  through  per- 
sonal request  was  not  known,  and  what  was  said  with 
reference  to  it  was  merely  conjecture  and  the  unsatis- 
factory speculations  of  rumor.  It  was  no  one's  business 
anyway  except  his  own,  and  it  may  be  said  without  fear 
of  contradiction  that  there  were  few  aboard  among 
officers  or  crew  who  were  not  sorry  to  see  him  one  of  the 
two  main  figures  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  transfer. 

These  were  simple,  with  an  atmosphere  of  the  serious 
about  them,  giving  them  an  official  solemnity  that  was 
most  attractive  to  the  uninitiated. 

Officers  and  crew,  arrayed  in  clean  white  uniforms, 
dressed  for  inspection  on  the  boat  deck  in  two  columns. 
After  the  usual  routine  inspection,  Captain  Porterfield 
read  his  orders  from  the  Navy  Department  transferring 
him  to  the  Wheeling,  and  Captain  Howell  read  his 
assigning  him  to  the  command  of  the  Venetia.  Then, 
after  a  thorough  inspection  of  the  ship  by  the  two 
officers,  followed  by  general  drills,  Captain  Porterfield 
waved  good-bye  to  all,  quietly  descended  the  gangway 
to  a  waiting  launch  amid  the  cheers  of  the  assembled 
crew,  and  the  Venetia  was  now  commanded  by  a  new 
captain,  who  had  good-fellowship  mingled  with  deter- 
mined authority  stamped  on  every  feature  of  his  pleasant 
face. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 


UNDER    A    NEW    COMMANDER 

CAPTAIN  HOWELL  INTRODUCES  HIMSELF— BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  HIS 
CAREER— COURTEOUSLY  BUSINESSLIKE— AND  THEN  BIZERTA 
AGAIN! 

APTAIN  HOWELL  lost  no  time  in 
placing  himself  in  close  touch  with  his 
roster  of  officers  and  outlining  to  them 
his  intentions  and  policies.  Immediately 
following  the  cermonies  of  assuming 
command,  he  assembled  all  commis- 
sioned officers  in  the  wardroom,  acquainted  himself  with 
the  name  of  each  of  them,  and  then  addressed  them  in 
a  pleasant,  chatty  way,  carrying  with  it  a  certain  sort 
of  manly  authority  that  was  most  attractive  to  his 
hearers.  He  said  that  he  had  no  friends  aboard,  and 
would  endeavor  to  make  none,  since  it  was  always  his 
custom  to  avoid  the  playing  of  favorites.  All  he  required 
was  constant  service  and  strict  attention,  and  so  long  as 
he  knew  that  everyone  was  performing  his  duty  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  there  would  be  no  complaints  from 
him,  and  he  hoped  that  no  one  would  annoy  him  with 
petty  complaints  concerning  small  matters.  The  meet- 
ing adjourned  with  everyone  convinced  that  the  change 
of  commanders  had  not  been  for  the  worse  in  an  ex- 
ecutive way,  and  he  withdrew  with  a  pleasant  smile  that 

[188] 


UNDER  A  NEW  COMMANDER 


gave  promise  of  much  cordiality  during  the  off-watch 
hours,  when  the  junior  officer  places  a  high  estimate 
upon  an  exchange  of  pleasantries  or  a  brief  conversation 
with  the  skipper. 

Charles  Frederick  Howell  was  born  in  Bordentown, 
N.  J.,  March  19, 1881,  and  educated  himself  with  a  view 
of  entering  permanently  into  the  stirring  and  ever- 
shifting  business  of  the  sea.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
entered  the  U.  S.  Revenue  Cutter  Service  (now  known 
as  the  Coast  Guard),  and  received  his  commission 
two  years  later.  He  has  made  many  cruises  in  Atlantic, 
Pacific,  and  Alaskan  waters,  and  is  well  known  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  has  made  many  friends  both  in  and 
out  of  the  service.  On  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  with 
Germany,  he  was  entrusted  with  the  duty  of  locating 
radio  and  submarine  bases  in  the  Caribbean  Sea.  Subse- 
quently he  was  sent  overseas  and  commanded  an  escort 
for  convoys  from  Gibraltar  to  England,  Wales,  and 
Portugal,  until  his  assignment  to  the  Venetia. 

It  had  taken  both  officers  and  crew  some  little  time 
to  accustom  themselves  to  the  stern,  authoritative 
bearing  of  Captain  Porterfield,  trained  into  him  during 
his  four  years'  course  at  the  Naval  Academy,  where  the 
curriculum  with  respect  to  discipline  may  be  said  to  be 
more  or  less  undemocratic.  But  after  a  few  months  the 
snappy  emphasis  of  his  commands  and  the  earnest  but 
aggressive  method  of  describing  anything  he  wanted 
done  were  accepted  as  a  matter  of  course,  coming  as 
they  did  from  a  Government-made  naval  officer. 

With  Captain  Howell,  however,  it  was  not  difficult  to 
make  a  mental  photograph  of  his  nature  and  character 
almost  with  the  rapidity  of  a  snap-shot.  Having  worked 
his  way  in  his  chosen  service  from  its  rudimentary  stages 
to  the  dignity  of  a  commission,  his  official  bearing  at 

[189] 


\(& 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


once  gave  the  impression  that  he  was  a  man  who  would 
be  the  captain  of  his  own  craft  in  its  strictest  sense. 
This,  too,  with  an  utter  absence  of  anything  approach- 
ing "side";  and  that  impression  became  strengthened 
with  each  of  his  official  acts  until  the  Venetia  finally 
went  out  of  commission. 

His  first  concern  after  the  meeting  in  the  wardroom 
was  to  become  thoroughly  familiar  with  his  ship,  and 
the  Venetia  was  carefully  inspected,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  mechanical  force,  from  stem  to  stern  and  from 
conning-tower  to  keelson.  This  inspection  revealed  the 
necessity  of  an  early  going  into  dry  dock  for  repairs, 
cleaning,  and  overhauling,  which  must  be  attended  to 
as  soon  as  his  request  for  them  could  be  officially  ap- 
proved. This  would  probably  be  done  immediately  after 
the  already  organized  convoy  had  been  escorted  to  its 
destination  and  another  one  brought  back  to  Gibraltar. 

The  announcement  that  the  Venetia  was  to  be  restored 
to  the  Bizerta  run,  at  least  temporarily,  was  not  re- 
ceived with  the  least  sign  of  pleasure  by  anyone  aboard. 
Strange  to  relate,  the  numerous  swimming  parties  that 
went  ashore  seemed  to  betray  the  existence  of  a  general 
impression  that  thorough  cleanliness  was  a  glaring  es- 
sential for  a  comfortable  return  to  the  more  or  less 
unwholesome  purlieus  of  Northern  Africa. 

Chief  Perry,  having  learned  that  oil  of  good  quality 
was  to  be  had  at  the  supply  station,  ordered  40,000 
gallons  of  it,  sufficient  for  a  cruising  radius  of  3500  miles, 
and  the  water-tanks  were  filled  with  an  excellent  quality 
of  that  indispensable  liquid  from  the  great  storing  res- 
ervoirs high  up  on  the  precipitous  sides  of  the  "Big 
Rock."  The  Chief  was  asked  why  it  was  that  crude 
petroleum  was  sold  by  the  gallon  and  pure  water  by  the 
ton;  but  he  offered  no  explanation,  and  a  somewhat 

[190] 





CAPTAIN  CHARLES   F.  HOWELL 


UNDER  A  NEW   COMMANDER 


scathing  reference  to  "  Foolish  Question  1323"  was  over- 
heard as  he  disappeared  down  the  hatchway  to  the 
torrid  lairs  of  his  "Black  Gang." 

The  first  departure  under  a  new  commander  was 
made  four  days  after  his  coming  abroad,  or,  to  be  more 
precise,  on  the  6th  of  August.  The  Venetia  moved  to 
her  old  station  on  the  port  quarter  of  the  convoy  of  nine 
ships,  and  the  run  to  Bizerta  was  effected  with  monoto- 
nous regularity,  never  having  been  once  interrupted 
even  by  the  almost  .inevitable  signal  to  zigzag  some- 
where out  of  formation  and  investigate  a  "suspicious 
object." 

Smaller  interest  than  ever  was  expressed  for  unfra- 
grant  Bizerta,  and  scarcely  anyone  applied  for  liberty, 
except  the  old  "mossbacks,"  to  whom  the  privilege  has 
become  an  incurable  habit  and  is  demanded  immediately 
on  entering  a  port,  whether  they  really  want  it  or  not. 

Remembering  the  interesting  experiences  of  the  run 
over  to  Tunis  on  the  last  Bizerta  visit,  another  similar 
jaunt  was  organized  by  "Pay,"  Howard,  Armstrong, 
and  De  Camp,  with  a  further  purpose  of  visiting  ancient 
Carthage  as  a  new  side  trip  out  of  Bizerta.  It  seemed  to 
this  adventurous  quartette  a  most  promising  omen  that 
in  the  railway  compartment  with  them  there  was 
another  French  naval  surgeon,  who  was  at  once  made 
guide  and  purchasing  commissioner,  vice  the  "little 
Doc,"  lost,  strayed,  stolen,  or  passed  into  oblivion. 

He  proved  an  excellent  substitute  in  the  more  ma- 
terial duties  of  his  temporary  office,  for  he  was  truly  a 
master  of  the  gentle  art  of  preventing  extortion,  and 
always  cheerfully  produced  his  one-fifth  of  all  expendi- 
tures relating  to  appetites  affecting  either  liquid  or  solid 
substances.  But  he  lacked  the  humor,  celerity,  and 
exactness  of  "Doc,"  and  after  enfolding  a  panorama  of 


••'>• 


N 

E 

T 

I 

V 

E 

A 

Tunis  by  gaslight  which  did  not  improve  on  second 
acquaintance,  he  finally  succeeded  in  removing  what- 
ever good  impressions  had  been  formed  of  him  by 
hurrying  his  charges  to  a  train.  This  arrived  at  Bizerta 
too  late  in  the  morning  to  make  the  Carthage  visit 
possible,  and  the  return  convoy  was  scheduled  to  steam 
away  at  noon. 

The  weather  was  balmy  but  distressingly  hot,  and  the 
progress  of  the  convoy  of  twelve  ships  at  a  speed  of 
seven  knots  was  altogether  too  slow  to  create  one  of 
those  cooling  breezes  that  invariably  accompany  speed 
on  land  or  sea.  Worst  of  all,  if  any  air  whatever  was 
stirring  it  came  from  astern,  rendering  automatic  ven- 
tilation impossible.  Fortunately,  however,  our  old 
friend  Suspicious  Object  was  signaled  from  the  flagship, 
and  the  Venetia,  speeding  up,  zigzagged  herself  into  a 
delicious  breeze,  which  burned  away  as  she  returned  to 
the  convoy  after  investigating  an  innocent  nun-buoy,  no 
doubt  wrenched  loose  by  the  sea  from  some  close-by 
harbor. 

The  same  kind  of  relief  came  on  the  following  day — 
probably  the  hottest  Sunday  in  the  memory  of  anyone 
aboard — when  the  "suspicious  object"  demanding 
official  investigation  under  full  speed  proved  to  be  a 
life-raft,  "unpeopled  and  alone,  on  the  glassy  swells  of  a 
breezeless  sea." 

Wash  day  dawned  with  splashing  ripples  playing 
about  the  cutwater  and  along  the  sides,  while  nature's 
own  blessed  ventilation  was  present  in  the  form  of  a 
spanking  breeze  dead  ahead.  Then  came  radio  messages, 
both  from  headquarters  ashore  and  a  far-distant  diri- 
gible, warning  the  convoy  of  the  presence  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  several  submarines,  and  directing  that  it 
proceed  in  single-line  formation  into  the  forbidden 

[192] 


UNDER  A  NEW  COMMANDER 


neutral  waters  along  the  Spanish  coast.  "Happily,  the 
Venetias  allotted  division  was  composed  of  speedy 
vessels,  so  Captain  Howell  telegraphed  the  Chief  to  "  hit 
'er  up,"  and  the  division  arrived  at  Gibraltar  on 
Wednesday,  many  hours  in  advance  of  the  remainder 
of  the  convoy. 

Immediately  on  arrival  at  the  "Rock,"  Captain 
Howell  buckled  on  his  sword  and  donned  all  of  the  regalia 
permitted  by  the  brass-detesting  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
to  attend  the  ceremonies  consequent  upon  the  assuming 
of  command  at  the  Gibraltar  base  by  Sir  Herbert 
Guthrie-Smith,  in  place  of  Sir  Rupert  Miles,  transferred. 
The  elaborateness  of  this  affair  gave  it  an  atmosphere  of 
true  monarchial  pomp  when  placed  in  comparison  with 
the  perfunctory  simplicity  of  the  exchange  of  command- 
ers on  board  of  the  Venetia  only  a  few  days  before. 
There  was  a  reviewing-stand,  approached  by  a  carpeted 
path,  and  decorated  with  much  British  bunting  together 
with  a  display  of  the  colors  of  the  Allied  nations,  in 
which  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  not  altogether  in- 
conspicuous. 

Apparently  the  entire  population  of  Gibraltar  was 
assembled  on  the  parade-ground,  and  the  army  barracks 
and  naval  craft  in  the  harbor  had  been  denuded  of 
soldiers,  sailors,  and  marines,  who  passed  in  review  to 
the  music  of  a  melodious  aggregation  of  brass  bands. 
Speeches  were  made  which  were  altogether  inaudible  to 
the  assembled  multitude;  the  orders  of  the  incoming 
and  outgoing  governors-general  were  read  by  their  sec- 
retaries; Sir  Rupert  shook  hands  with  Sir  Herbert  with 
stolid  dignity;  the  crowd  cheered  as  the  military  stood 
at  "present  arms";  and,  then,  while  the  pageant  was 
melting  away,  the  two  dignitaries  were  either  com- 
miserated or  congratulated  by  the  assembled  officers, 


iii 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


with  all  of  the  brilliant  ceremonial  of  a  presentation  at 
Court. 

When  Captain  Howell  returned  aboard  he  announced 
that  the  Venetia  would  within  a  day  or  two  go  into  dry 
dock,  perhaps  for  a  period  of  thirty  days.  Not  that  there 
were  any  "outward  and  visible  signs"  of  defects  that 
could  impair  her  efficiency  in  any  way ;  but  she  had  now 
been  in  the  service  for  considerably  more  than  a  year, 
subjected  to  the  most  strenuous  activities  ever  yet 
exacted  of  a  vessel  of  her  type,  and  the  new  skipper  very 
considerately  thought  that  a  thorough  "tuning  and 
resting  up"  was  long  overdue. 


CHAPTER  XXX 


DRY-DOCK  DAYS 

OFF  ON  LEAVE— REVIVAL  OF  THE  BELIEF  THAT  THE  "vENETIA" 
AVENGED  THE  "LUSITANIA"  —  A  COLLISION  NECESSITATES  RE- 
PAIRS—IN THE  HALLS  OF  THE  ALHAMBRA— READY  FOR  SERVICE. 

knowledge  that  the  protracted  period 
of  activity  attendant  upon  overhauling 
would  require  greatly  restricted  duties 
from  both  officers  and  crew  brought  the 
first  visions  for  extended  liberty  that 

had  come  since  leaving  the  home  port. 

The  opportunity  was  grasped  with  avidity  at  once.  In 
this  regard  Captain  Howell  was  most  liberal,  for  he  be- 
lieved that  men  can  become  rusty  from  too  much  ex- 
posure as  can  steel  plates  and  machinery. 

His  keen  perception  had  told  him  that  there  were 
several  cases  of  fag  and  nervousness  among  the  officers, 
while  the  morning  police  court  ceremonies  "at  the  mast" 
were  becoming  more  and  more  frequent.  He  knew  that 
change  of  scene  and  as  unrestricted  liberty  as  could 
reasonably  be  expected  would  restore  the  morale  of  his 
personnel  to  its  original  excellent  standard,  and  so 
encouraged  jaunts  to  points  of  historical  interest  by 
those  who  could  afford  it,  while  liberty  on  the  Gibraltar 
"Beach"  was  made  general,  albeit  with  an  increased 
shore  patrol. 


r© 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


Naval  shore  patrol  is  necessary  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  naval  force  in  a  port  is  made  responsible  for  the 
behavior  of  the  personnel  of  its  several  ships,  and  a  com- 
missioned officer  is  detailed  to  act  as  an  extemporized 
captain  of  police,  while  a  certain  number  of  enlisted  men 
are  detailed  to  make  arrests  for  any  infractions  of  local 
laws  or  navy  regulations.  The  offenders  are  taken  to 
their  own  ships  for  judgment  and  punishment,  instead 
of  being  tried  and  imprisoned  by  the  local  authorities, 
and  this  custom  is  general  in  all  countries.  No  one  who 
does  not  select  that  very  essential  kind  of  duty  as  a  live- 
lihood likes  to  be  made  a  police  officer,  so  the  detail  as 
officer  of  patrol  is  generally  regarded  as  being  the  most 
ungrateful  duty  of  naval  routine.  But  nearly  everyone 
above  the  grade  of  enlisted  man  is  likely  to  be  assigned 
to  it,  and  generally  takes  his  medicine  without  com- 
plaint, for  he  knows  that  it  would  profit  him  nothing  if 
he  made  one. 

The  first  to  "shove  off"  on  ten  days'  leave  were  "  Doc" 
Drake  and  young  De  Camp,  who  apparently  had  not 
yet  surfeited  themselves  with  the  allurements  of  North 
Africa,  and  so  hurried  aboard  of  an  eastbound  convoy 
for  Oran  and  Algiers.  The  other  officers  began  to  discuss 
pairing  off  for  similar  jaunts  in  the  near  future,  con- 
ferences as  to  routes  and  the  probable  cost  being  first  an 
unavoidable  feature. 

Admiral  Niblack  came  aboard,  inspected  the  ship 
with  great  care,  and  unhesitatingly  pronounced  her  to 
be  without  the  slightest  doubt  the  stanchest  and  most 
efficient  converted  yacht  that  had  yet  come  under  his 
observation.  He  furthermore  sent  thrills  of  patriotic 
pride  into  the  souls  of  officers  and  jackies  by  the  reiter- 
ation of  his  firm  belief  that  the  Venetia  had  by  her 
own  depth  charges  made  herself  the  true  avenger  of  the 


DRY-DOCK    DAYS 


Lusitania,  such  assistance  as  was  claimed  by  other 
vessels  being  largely  negative.  There  seemed  now  to  be 
but  little  doubt  that  the  German  submarine  U-39 — 
the  officially  accredited  destroyer  of  the  Lusitania — 
now  hopelessly  disabled  and  interned  in  the  Spanish 
port  of  Cartagena,  had  been  placed  hors  de  combat  by 
the  Venetia,  and  within  a  short  space  of  time  that  fact 
would  be  duly  recognized  by  both  the  British  and  United 
States  governments.  The  main  points  of  evidence  he 
was  not  yet  at  liberty  to  divulge,  but  all  known  details 
had  been  forwarded  to  Admiral  Sims,  who  had  in  turn 
forwarded  them  to  the  British  Admiralty,  and  a  full 
report  would  be  soon  rendered. 

This  truly  exhilarating  fund  of  information  was  of 
course  impossible  of  concealment  in  the  breasts  of  the 
wardroom  officers,  for  among  naval  volunteers  and 
reserves  there  is  much  more  cordiality  than  could  pos- 
sibly exist  in  the  regular  navy,  and  it  spread  about  the 
ship  with  the  celerity  and  conviction  of  news  from  a 
village  gossip  at  a  church  sewing  circle.  Small  wonder 
then  that  the  shore  patrol  was  busier  than  usual  that 
night,  that  commissioned  officers  themselves  did  not 
altogether  escape  its  vigilance,  and  that  the  punish- 
ments "at  the  mast"  the  next  morning  were  meted  out 
with  the  usual  preponderance  of  dignity,  but  accom- 
panied by  a  singular  moiety  of  severity. 

There  now  occurred  an  accident  which  placed  the 
Venetia  in  a  condition  requiring  not  only  refitting  and 
cleaning  but  absolute  repairs  of  a  more  or  less  elaborate 
kind.  The  basin  inside  the  mole  in  which  the  ship  was 
moored  was  considerably  congested,  and  H.  M.  S. 
Jeannette  II  was  moored  alongside.  Then,  under  tow, 
U.  S.  S.  Seneca,  in  attempting  to  moor  in  her  place  as 
she  was  towed  away,  lost  steering  way,  and  her  stern 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


struck  the  Venetia  a  heavy  blow  well  forward,  breaking 
the  telescope  from  Number  3  gun,  tearing  away  part  of 
the  rail,  dislodging  the  foretopmast,  bringing  it  hurtling 
down  upon  her  own  deck,  and  so  damaging  the  Venetia  s 
foremast  itself  that  a  new  one  was  made  necessary. 

The  decks  now  swarmed  with  the  only  kind  of  dock- 
yard workmen  possible  in  those  days  when  the  good 
men  were  either  at  the  front  or  enlisted  aboard  of  the 
ships,  so  the  Spanish  neutrals  known  as  "spiggs"  were 
employed.  These  were  slow,  surly,  dirty,  and  venial,  and 
as  the  lily  farmer  contemplated  the  first  shift  of  them 
that  shuffled  aboard,  he  laughed  sneeringly  and  said: 

"Why,  one  of  those  Yaqui  peons  down  in  Mexico  is 
sure  a  speed-king  alongside  one  o'  these  ducks." 

On  the  26th  of  August,  the  Venetia,  "slightly  dis- 
figured but  still  in  the  ring,"  entered  Dry  Dock  No.  i, 
followed  by  U.  S.  S.  Seneca,  whose  uncontrollable  stern 
had  wrought  the  damage.  There  was  deep  satisfaction 
in  the  breast  of  everyone  aboard  that  the  wound  en- 
forcing this  temporary  idleness  had  not  been  inflicted  by 
a  Hun  projectile,  and  there  was  an  added  compensation 
in  the  reflection  that  the  Seneca  herself  was  a  companion 
cripple  in  the  dry  dock. 

Prior  to  entering  the  dock  all  ammunition  had  been 
removed  from  the  magazines,  and  these,  as  well  as  state- 
and  store-rooms  were  thoroughly  cleaned  and  painted 
where  necessary,  and  rust  in  every  part  of  the  ship 
"chipped  away"  and  similarly  covered.  While  all  of  this 
work  was  progressing  it  was  decided  that  the  Venetia  s 
personnel  should  shine  in  social  as  well  as  athletic  func- 
tions, and  after  a  game  of  baseball  with  a  team  from  the 
Seneca  and  Castine  and  won  by  the  latter  there  occurred 
the  long-to-be-remembered  Venetia  Dance  which  was 
given  in  the  "Assembly." 


JAUNTING  IN  SPAIN 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  ALHAMBRA 


D  R  Y-D  O  C  K    DAYS 


In  addition  to  officers  and  enlisted  men,  not  absent  on 
leave,  invitations  had  been  issued  to  all  Gibraltar 
officials  whose  names  were  obtainable,  and  when  in  the 
"wee  sma'  hours"  the  bugle  called  "all  ceremonies  off," 
it  was  unanimously  pronounced  altogether  the  most 
enjoyable  social  function  given  at  Gibraltar  since  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  because  it  was  given  after  the  true 
American  democratic  way,  with  an  entire  absence  of 
stiffness  and  more  or  less  of  a  disregard  of  conventions. 

There  being  now  no  need  of  more  than  one  or  two 
officers  aboard  the  laid-up  Venetia>  the  prearranged 
extended  leaves  began  to  depart,  commencing  with 
Schnetzler  and  Howard,  who  took  the  evening  boat  for 
Algeciras,  bound  for  Granada  and  the  wondrous  Al- 
hambra,  to  be  soon  followed  by  Bussell  and  Mangan. 
There  were  misunderstandings  with  reference  to  the 
arrival  and  departure  of  trains  by  both  couples,  and  the 
four  officers  came  suddenly  together  at  Bobadilla  and 
boarded  the  train  for  Granada.  The  first  tour  out  of  a 
distressingly  indifferent  hotel,  whose  genuine  Spanish 
provender  was  unanimously  pronounced  to  be  vastly 
inferior  to  the  cheapest  Mexican  table  d'hote  in  Los 
Angeles,  was  sadly  unpropitious  owing  to  the  inefficiency 
of  a  surly  Castilian  who  surely  must  have  been  the 
worst  guide  in  all  Spain. 

After  numerous  disputes  he  was  detached  and  paid 
off;  another  one  secured,  who  was  a  grade  or  two  better; 
and  after  tickets  were  bought  entitling  the  party  to  ad- 
mission to  all  buildings  and  palaces  of  interest,  the  tour  of 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  historical  cities  in  all  the  world 
was  begun.  This  continued  through  two  beautiful  days 
full  of  fascination  over  the  wonderfully  preserved  speci- 
mens of  Moorish  architecture,  and  gardens  almost  as 
full  of  gorgeous  bloom  as  suburban  California. 

['99] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


It  is  not  in  the  province  of  this  volume  to  descend  to 
the  advertising  propensities  of  the  guide-book  author, 
since  its  mission  is  to  record  the  incidents  in  a  war- 
vessel's  exciting  career.  But  a  few  of  these  side  trips  are 
touched  upon  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  war  is  not 
all  horror,  and  that  its  searchers  after  martial  glory  may 
find  relief  from  its  sickening  vicissitudes  amid  the  odors 
of  flowers,  and  where  the  battered  citadel  can  be  replaced 
by  wondrous  vistas  of  palaces  whose  wars  are  now 
ghostly  memories  among  the  pictures  of,  let  us  hope, 
eternal  peace. 

Four  days  in  all  were  spent  by  the  four  Venetia  boys 
in,  about,  and  around  the  glorious  mysteries  of  Gra- 
nada's Alhambra,  and  that  they  might  supply  their 
shipmates  with  adequate  descriptions  of  its  many 
beauties  some  of  them  studied  "The  Conquest  of 
Granada"  most  assiduously  on  the  return  train.  But, 
after  standing  once  more  on  the  deck  of  their  home 
craft,  still  swarming  with  loitering  workmen  and  un- 
comely in  the  smoky  environment  of  the  dry  dock,  the 
obvious  retort  of  the  officer  first  addressed  as  to  how  he 
enjoyed  the  trip  was  the  handing  over  of  the  book,  with 
the  words: 

"You  fellows  can  read  all  about  it  in  'The  Conquest 
of  Granada,'  and  to  prove  that  we  were  there  here's  a 
photograph  of  the  four  of  us  taken  on  the  spot.  But  if 
you  expect  any  of  us  to  give  a  wardroom  lecture  about 
it  that  would  be  any  good — why — it  can't  be  done." 

It  was  the  i4th  of  September  before  the  repairs  were 
finally  made  and  the  regenerated  Venetia  moved  saucily 
to  a  harbor  mooring  to  be  assigned  to  her  station  in  the 
convoy  ready  to  start  for  Genoa. 

She  now  no  longer  wore  the  gaudy  camouflage  habili- 
ments designed  for  her  by  the  imaginative  Mr.  Fisher 

[  200] 


r^ji  W 
*s?5i: .- •;* '  • 

^:H^ 


MASQUERADING  AT  THE  ALHAMBRA 
SCHNETZLER,  MANGAN,  BUSSELL,  AND  HOWARD 


DRY-DOCK    DAYS 


and  worn  by  her  on  many  courses,  calm  and  turbulent, 
peaceful  and  warlike.  Her  singular  but  confusing  garb  of 
many  colors — and  to  confuse  is  the  purpose  of  camou- 
flage— had  made  her  so  conspicuous  as  to  cause  her  to 
be  mentioned  in  German  dispatches  captured  from 
prisoners,  and  as  a  consequence  orders  were  issued  that 
she  be  painted  in  the  familiar  ante-wartime  battleship 
gray.  It  was  also  said  that  Captain  Howell  did  not  see  as 
much  humor  in  her  several  notorious  nicknames  as  Cap- 
tain Porterfield  had,  and  so  had  himself  asked  permis- 
sion to  make  the  change.  At  all  events  the  change  was 
made  and  she  looked  all  the  better  for  it.  Her  former 
colors  had  been  false  as  sirens  are  false ;  she  was  now  no 
longer  pointed  at  as  the  "Painted  Jezebel"  or  "Vampire 
of  Babylon,"  but  was  a  modestly  attired,  inconspicuous 
converted  yacht,  done  over  for  renewed  activities. 

As  the  Venetia  moved  out  into  the  stream  one  of  the 
swarthy  and  diminutive  mess  attendants  was  made  out 
gesticulating  madly  from  the  dock  and  in  his  polyglot 
dialect  begging  to  be  taken  aboard.  He  hailed  from  those 
beautiful  island  possessions  in  the  Far  East  which  enjoy 
the  distinction  of  being  the  only  country  in  all  history 
that  was  occupied  by  right  of  conquest  and  then  paid 
for  by  an  indemnity  of  $20,000,000,  as  though  the  con- 
querors were  the  real  malefactors  who  had  brought 
about  the  war  and  the  consequent  victory  of  Dewey  at 
Manila  Bay.  Moved  by  the  manana  instincts  of  his  race, 
he  had  either  forgotten  that  his  vessel  was  scheduled  to 
sail  that  morning  or  had  become  imbued  with  those 
ideals  of  personal  independence  which  have  been  en- 
couraged into  his  race  by  a  super-altruistic  adminis- 
tration and  supposed  that,  of  course,  he  could  take  his 
own  time  in  getting  aboard.  A  few  days  later  the  Venetia 
had  responded  to  an  order  from  the  commodore  of  the 

[201] 


ill 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


convoy  to  investigate  a  "suspicious  object"  with  the 
usual  fruitless  results.  The  object  proved  to  be  a  water- 
logged ship's-boat,  and  after  the  return  to  station  in  the 
formation  the  lily  farmer  was  heard  to  remark: 

"I  sure  am  disappointed.  I'd  have  bet  even  money  it 
was  going  to  be  that  Filipino  risking  starvation  in  an 
open  boat  rather  than  neglect  his  duty." 

The  Venetias  duty  in  this  convoy  of  eleven  ships  was 
to  zigzag  astern  of  it  with  an  incessant  frequency  that 
kept  the  watch  officer's  nerves  continually  on  edge.  For 
the  first  time  since  she  had  been  actively  engaged  in 
convoying  there  was  a  foreign  commodore,  and,  being 
Italian,  he  must  have  been  imbued  with  all  of  the 
explosive  excitability  of  his  race,  for  he  was  continually 
wigwagging  or  wirelessing  instructions,  and  insisted 
upon  these  interminable  and  wearing  changes  of  direc- 
tion in  all  sorts  of  weather  and  under  all  conditions  of 
light  or  darkness. 

This  insistence  on  zigzagging  at  night  by  the  guard- 
vessels — no  matter  what  their  station  in  the  convoy — 
almost  resulted  in  dire  calamity  on  the  night  before 
reaching  Genoa.  The  Venetia  was  "wobbling"  along, 
feeling  her  way  through  the  impenetrable  black  of 
night,  when  suddenly  one  of  the  merchantmen,  the  War 
Drake,  loomed  up  directly  across  her  bows,  almost  close 
enough  to  have  heaved  a  biscuit  on  her  deck.  Lieutenant 
Bussell,  who  had  the  watch  at  the  time,  telegraphed 
"  full  speed  astern,"  put  the  helm  hard  over  to  the  right, 
and  almost  grazed  the  port  quarter  of  the  War  Drake 
before  he  passed  astern  of  her. 

Had  the  merchantman  been  sunk  Bussell  would  have 
been  subjected  to  the  record-clouding  humiliation  of  a 
general  court  martial,  with  the  probable  resultant  re- 
duction of  several  numbers  in  rank,  and  through  no 


DRY-DOCK    DAYS 


fault  of  his  own.  But  Captain  Howell  had  already  ven- 
tilated his  indignant  amazement  over  this  system  of 
night  zigzagging,  congratulated  Bussell  for  his  quickness 
of  thought  and  action,  and  expressed  his  keen  satis- 
faction when,  a  few  days  later  in  Gibraltar,  Bussell 
received  his  commission  as  a  "bull"  lieutenant.1 

This  run  to  Genoa  was  accomplished  within  five  days, 
when  the  news  came  aboard  that  a  convoy  was  waiting 
and  would  move  to  the  westward  on  the  following 
morning.  As  a  consequence,  nothing  was  reported  in  the 
way  of  adventure  or  sightseeing,  barring  a  few  indul- 
gences in  "beach  chow"2  and  one  or  two  drives  along 
the  interesting  cliff  drive  east  to  Genoa.  This  convoy 
formed  and  was  gotten  under  way  at  8 130  and  Gibraltar 
was  reached  without  interruption  or  incident  of  any 
kind,  through  balmy  weather,  a  smooth  sea, and  a  close 
adherence  to  the  Italian  system  of  continuous  zig- 
zagging. 

l.\  slang  phrase  almost  invariably  used  in  the  navy  for  the  rank  of  a  full 
lieutenant. 
2Meals  ashore. 


i 
i 


[203] 


CHAPTER  XXXI 


TEMPEST  AND    SUNSHINE 

DULL    DAYS   AT   "GIB*'— ANOTHER   GALE    IN   THE    GULF    OF    LYONS  — A 
HIDE-AND-SEEK  CONVOY— HOMESICK   NURSES    ENLIVENED. 


G 


IBRALTAR  was  becoming  more  and 
more  trite  and  uninteresting  every  day. 
All  places  and  side  trips  of  interest  had 
been  done  over  and  over  again;  bull- 
fights had  long  since  been  tabooed  as 
being  altogether  out  of  harmony  with 
the  American  notions  of  fair  play;  English  cricket  did 
not  appeal,  and  but  for  an  occasional  boxing-match  and 
game  of  baseball  there  would  have  been  no  attractive 
outdoor  amusement;  there  had  been  no  recent  encoun- 
ters with  submarines  to  brag  about;  and  there  seemed 
to  exist  in  all  quarters  that  attitude  of  indifference  that 
seems  irremovable  from  the  demeanor  of  stranger  folk 
with  whom  one  comes  into  contact  nearly  every  day. 

In  this  connection,  too,  it  may  be  stated,  with  no  fear 
of  successful  contradiction,  that  cases  of  close  intimacy 
between  Americans  and  the  service  personnels  of  other 
nations  must  be  regarded  as  being  glaring  exceptions  to 
what  is  almost  undeniably  a  general  rule.  There  is  no 
cohesion  of  tastes,  habits,  or  sense  of  humor,  nor  any  ac- 
cord whatever  in  the  appreciation  of  things  material  or 
the  viewpoint  from  which  a  subject  is  discussed. 

[204] 


TEMPEST    AND    SUNSHINE 


When  the  American  forces  first  came  overseas  to 
strengthen  the  shattered  battlefronts  and  render  in- 
vincible the  insufficient  Allied  navies,  they  were  received 
with  the  enthusiasm  and  acclaim  of  veritable  redeemers 
from  certain  disaster.  But  constant  association  of  dif- 
fering natures  and  temperaments;  the  sallies  of  the 
American  joker,  always  considered  as  impertinent  by 
those  who  have  never  learned  how  to  take  a  joke,  soon 
engendered  a  resentment  that  grew  into  dislike,  and 
then  came  what  is  much  worse  to  the  American  nature — 
absolute  indifference  and  patronizing  disdain.  So,  long 
before  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  it  became  all  too 
apparent,  the  other  Allied  forces  not  being  as  good 
"mixers"  or  humorists  as  the  Americans,  that  the 
English,  French,  and  Italians  did  not  like  the  Ameri- 
cans; while  the  Americans  entertained  similar  senti- 
ments toward  the  English,  French,  and  Italians.  There 
was  at  least  a  temperamental  impediment  to  the  personal 
realization  of  the  altruistic  ideal  evolved  by  President 
Wilson ;  namely,  the  arming  of  over  three  million  men 
to  secure  a  democratic  brotherhood  for  all  the  world.  In 
this  connection  it  is  related  that  as  the  next  convoy 
moved  toward  Genoa  our  friend  the  lily  farmer  closed  a 
conversation  to  the  above  purport  with  the  character- 
istic aphorism: 

"Oh,  well,  history  repeats  itself.  Wasn't  it  Julius 
Caesar  who  once  said  there  were  no  good  sports  but 
Romans  ?  That  goes  double  with  me  to-day  with  refer- 
ence to  the  Americans."  And  then  there  ensued  that 
smiling  silence  that  always  signifies  approval. 

For  the  first  three  or  four  days  out  of  Gibraltar  the 
convoy  of  eighteen  ships  progressed  smoothly,  with  the 
Venetia  zigzagging  patiently  on  its  port  flank.  Then,  like 
a  hawk  above  a  flock  of  hens,  the  appearance  ahead  of  a 

[205] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


dirigible  balloon  suddenly  plunged  the  merchantmen 
into  so  hopeless  a  tangle  of  formation  that  it  was  not 
megaphoned  or  wigwagged  into  alignment  for  twenty- 
four  hours.  "Submarines  ahead"  had  been  radioed  from 
the  dirigible,  and  as  most  of  the  convoy  was  composed 
of  Italian  vessels,  with  an  Italian  commodore  in  com- 
mand of  it,  this  nervous  hysteria  of  caution  was  quite 
unavoidable. 

On  the  fifth  day  the  falling  barometers  indicated 
approaching  bad  weather,  and  it  came  in  the  shape  of  a 
veritable  gale  immediately  upon  entering  the  frequently 
turbulent  Gulf  of  Lyons,  rendering  zigzagging  impos- 
sible, and  even  straightaway  navigation  difficult.  Long 
before  midnight  the  velocity  of  the  wind  increased  to 
sixty  miles  an  hour,  accompanied  by  such  thick  weather 
that  not  one  of  the  ships  of  the  convoy  was  visible  from 
the  deck  of  any  other.  In  the  morning  the  Venetia  found 
herself  alone  in  the  midst  of  the  angry  waters,  and  it  at 
once  devolved  upon  her  to  assist  in  the  retrieving  of  the 
scattered  flock  of  derelict  argosies.  Finally  six  of  the 
ships  were  made  out  "hove  to"  many  miles  astern,  and, 
while  the  term  is  in  no  sense  nautical,  it  must  be  said 
that  the  Venetia  speeded  astern  of  them  and  fairly 
"shooed"  them  under  way  in  the  teeth  of  the  now 
slackening  gale.  Smoke  ahead  indicated  the  presence  of 
the  remainder  of  the  convoy  beyond  the  horizon,  and 
before  nightfall  it  was  overhauled,  standing  still,  as 
though  awaiting  developments  of  the  nature  of  which 
the  commodore  seemed  to  be  in  serious  doubt. 

Now,  however,  his  dismembered  command  being 
again  in  at  least  approximate  formation,  he  signaled  it 
to  proceed,  for  the  gale  had  almost  entirely  abated,  and 
the  Italian  liking  for  short  zigzagging  was  again  mani- 
fested to  its  utmost.  But  the  lights  of  Genoa  soon  hove 

[206] 


TEMPEST    AND    SUNSHINE 


in  sight,  so  the  ships  and  their  escorts  were  directed  to 
kill  time  with  independent  maneuvers  until  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  Then  the  more-than-ever-congested 
harbor  was  entered  in  single  file,  and  the  Venetia^  after 
much  backing,  filling,  and  warping,  accompanied  by  the 
hysterical  yelling  of  the  Genoese  harbor  pilots,  was 
finally  comfortably  moored  by  the  stern  to  the  munici- 
pal dock,  which  proved  to  be  a  marked  improvement 
over  any  of  her  former  berths. 

There  now  seemed  to  exist  an  impression  in  the  minds 
of  the  more  convivially  inclined  among  the  wardroom 
officers  that  after  the  tempestuous  experiences  afloat  of 
two  days  before  some  of  the  sunshine  of  adventure 
ashore  would  be  not  only  quite  excusable  but  hygieni- 
cally  desirable.  Accordingly,  four  of  the  more  venture- 
some of  the  officers  "shoved  off"  for  the  "Beach,"  there 
separated  into  ones  and  twos,  and  began  individual 
tours  of  inspection,  having  for  their  purpose  a  general 
meeting  for  conference  later  in  the  afternoon.  Then  it 
was  intended  that  a  plan  of  action  for  the  single  night 
in  Genoa  would  be  duly  set  forth  and  perfected  from 
such  suggestions  as  the  several  conspirators  might  have 
to  make. 

The  selected  base  from  which  all  necessary  supplies 
and  information  could  be  secured  was  the  Red  Cross 
Headquarters,  where  a  former  acquaintance  with  Major 
Crump  could  be  renewed  and  the  project  for  the  even- 
ing's entertainment  submitted  to  him  for  advice  and 
possible  active  enlistment  in  it.  The  major  not  only  had 
several  attractive  suggestions  to  make,  but  insisted 
upon  commanding  or  directing  such  plan  of  operations 
as  might  be  adopted. 

The  first  move  was  the  commandeering  of  a  Red 
Cross  ambulance — a  greatly  glorified  example  of  the 

[207] 


\ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


Ford  "Fliver" — and  a  drive  to  the  American  Convales- 
cent Hospital.  Here,  it  was  believed,  the  only  members 
of  the  gentler  sex  speaking  in  a  familiar  tongue  might 
possibly  be  induced  to  consent  to  an  evening's  furlough 
from  their  none  too  cheerful  duties.  This  hospital, 
donated  by  an  Italian  duke  and  placed  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  American  Red  Cross,  was  a  gorgeous  villa 
in  the  center  of  a  luxurious  estate  and  fitted  by  Ameri- 
can skill  and  efficiency  for  the  care  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  of  any  of  the  Allies.  Three  of  the  officers  and 
the  major  made  a  tour  of  the  villa  and  its  gardens,  but 
the  "Kid" — so  called  because  he  was  much  the  youngest 
of  all  the  wardroom  officers — became  separated  in  some 
way,  and  no  doubt  was  making  a  tour  of  inspection  on 
his  own  account.  The  others  had  decided  to  look  him  up 
in  order  that  a  conference  might  be  held,  when  suddenly 
he  burst  upon  them  with  his  face  wreathed  in  smiles, 
and  conveyed  the  information  that  he  had  not  been 
idle. 

"It's  all  fixed,"  said  the  "Kid."  "I've  found  three 
delightful  little  nurses  who  are  quite  as  ill  from  home- 
sickness as  any  of  their  patients  are  with  wounds  or 
fevers,  and  they's  for  having  a  party." 

A  hasty  conference  was  at  once  held,  two  more  home- 
sick heroines  of  the  Red  Cross  enlisted,  leave  of  absence 
until  midnight  was  granted  to  them,  and  the  glorified 
Ford  was  soon  under  way  bearing  a  jolly  group  of 
Americans  bent  upon  whatever  form  of  clean  adventure 
might  suggest  itself. 

The  evening  began  with  a  jolly  dinner  at  the  Olympia 
Restaurant,  the  party  by  this  time  having  been  increased 
by  the  enlistment  of  Captain  Williams  of  the  Red  Cross 
and  Lieutenant  McClay  of  U.  S.  S.  Castine.  This  fin- 
ished, a  dancing  soiree  was  suggested  to  take  place  at 

[208] 


TEMPEST    AND    SUNSHINE 


the  duke's  villa,  but  the  major  regretted  that  the  place 
contained  no  instrument  fitted  for  the  playing  of  dance 
music.  McClay  solved  the  problem  by  hurrying  to  the 
quay,  calling  a  boat,  rowing  out  to  the  Castine^  and  re- 
turning with  the  ship's  phonograph.  This  and  all  hands 
were  crowded  into  the  ambulance,  a  return  was  made  to 
the  villa,  and  dancing  carried  on  until  the  stroke  of  mid- 
night, when  the  Red  Cross  Cinderellas  hurried  to  their 
stations  and  the  five  Princes  Charming  to  their  somber 
quarters. 

This  was  pronounced  to  have  been  altogether  the 
most  enjoyable  relaxation  from  routine  that  had  been 
suggested  since  the  Venetia  had  been  in  the  service.  The 
memory  of  it  was  all  the  more  grateful  for  the  reason 
that  so  favorable  an  opportunity  had  presented  itself  to 
provide  these  five  brave  little  servitors  of  stricken 
heroes  with  an  evening  of  pleasure  and  to  replace  the 
gloom  of  the  hospital  ward  with  the  chatter  of  admiring 
countrymen  and  the  merry  strains  of  good  old  American 
"jazz." 

There  was  not  one  of  those  boys  but  went  to  sleep 
that  night  full  of  keen  satisfaction  that  in  his  search  for 
an  adventure  he  had  fallen  upon  one  so  fruitful  in  per- 
forming a  gracious  service  for  those  self-sacrificing, 
overworked,  unpaid,  and  heroic  little  homesick  nurses 
of  the  American  Red  Cross. 

The  next  morning  a  start  was  made  for  the  return  trip 
to  Gibraltar,  with  a  convoy  of  twelve  ships  and  the 
Venetia  zigzagging  on  the  starboard  flank.  Slow  prog- 
ress was  made  that  night  owing  to  its  inky  blackness, 
and  another  day  dawned  with  the  Gulf  of  Lyons  gale 
that  had  been  passed  through  on  the  eastward  trip  still 
raging  with  renewed  fierceness.  The  Venetia  shipped 
several  heavy  seas,  one  of  them  tearing  away  the  star- 

[209] 


\i 


i  W 


•-•• 


"~^ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


board  gangway,  which  for  a  time  beat  against  the  sides 
with  such  force  as  to  threaten  to  make  a  breach  through 
the  bulkhead  of  the  wardroom.  Soon,  however,  the 
gangway  floated  clear,  and  with  this  assurance  of  safety 
came  the  knowledge  that  the  convoy  had  again  been 
scattered  by  the  storm ;  and  it  was  not  restored  to  for- 
mation until  the  following  morning,  when  the  mischie- 
vous and  turbulent  Gulf  of  Lyons  had  been  passed  and 
there  was  a  smooth  and  speed-inspiring  sea. 

Now  radio  messages  were  received  giving  warning  of 
the  presence  of  two  submarines  to  the  southward,  and 
directing  the  convoy  to  seek  safety  in  the  neutral  waters 
of  the  Spanish  coast.  Accordingly,  the  ships  turned 
sharply  to  the  north,  in  single-line  formation,  and,  after 
two  balmy  days  very  close  to  the  shore,  Gibraltar  was 
reached  without  further  incident. 

Much  sympathy  spread  about  the  Venetia  when,  on 
opening  his  mail,  Captain  Howell  received  a  cablegram 
announcing  the  death  of  his  wife,  and  when  he  went 
below  to  mourn  his  irreparable  loss  alone,  the  colors 
were  lowered  to  half-staff  on  the  stern  of  the  Venetia  for 
the  first  time. 


[210] 


CHAPTER  XXXII 


THE   APPROACH    OF   VICTORY 

APPEARANCE  OF  INFLUENZA— GLORIOUS  NEWS  FROM  THE  FRONT- 
SINGULAR  DISPOSITION  TO  MINIMIZE  AMERICA'S  SHARE— TO 
MADEIRA  AND  THE  AZORES  — RUMORS  OF  AN  ARMISTICE— THE 
"FLU"  INTERFERES  WITH  PARTICIPATION  IN  THE  GLORIFICATION. 

IMMEDIATELY  following  the  arrival 
at  Gibraltar,  Doctor  Drake  reported 
Lieutenant  Mangan  down  with  influ- 
enza and  one  or  two  mild  cases  among 
the  crew.  The  manner  of  its  appearance 
and  development  was  not  made  mani- 
fest by  any  process  of  scientific  deduction  as  to  whether 
the  germs  had  been  carried  from  Genoa  or  smuggled 
aboard  by  the  first  liberty  party  returning  from  "Gib." 
But  it  was  held  to  be  of  small  consequence  how  and 
whence  it  came,  so  long  as  it  was  prevalent,  and  a  dis- 
creet silence  with  reference  to  its  presence  was  advised 
lest  publicity  might  lead  to  official  interference  from 
panicky  departments  of  health,  there  being  many  cases 
in  the  port. 

This  visitation,  however,  was  soon  forgotten  in  the 
excitement  that  followed  accounts  of  the  continued 
destruction  of  German  submarines,  and  the  glad  tidings 
of  victories  following  in  rapid  succession  along  the 
French  fronts.  St.-Mihiel,  Chateau-Thierry,  the  Ar- 

[III] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


gonne,  and  a  threatened  Metz  were  on  the  tongues  of 
everyone  afloat  or  ashore;  and,  while  the  new  German 
front  said  to  have  replaced  the  now  utterly  effaced  Hin- 
denburg  Line  might  remain  impregnable  for  months, 
there  were  hundreds  who  were  so  optimistic  as  to  believe 
that  sweeping  victory  was  quite  possible  before  the 
beginning  of  another  year. 

It  is  to  be  sorely  regretted  that  record  must  here  be 
made  of  an  apparently  studied  disposition  to  minimize 
the  importance  of  the  share  of  the  United  States  in  this 
complete  reversal  of  war  hopes  and  conditions  in  France. 
Naturally  enough,  the  Americans,  basing  their  opinions 
on  the  published  reports,  grew  to  believe — and  very 
justly  too — that  but  for  the  fierce  onslaughts  of  the 
American  legions  the  Hindenburg  Line  would  still  be 
intact  and  unbreakable,  and  that  they,  and  they  alone, 
were  almost  entirely  responsible  for  these  glorious  re- 
vivals of  the  Allied  hopes. 

Strange  to  say,  however,  none  of  the  other  Allied 
forces  in  and  about  Gibraltar  seemed  in  the  least  inclined 
to  indorse  the  American  view  of  the  situation,  and,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  British  cocksureness  remained  as  stolidly 
immovable  as  the  mighty  "Rock"  itself.  Loud  and 
angry  disputes  became  notoriously  prevalent  on  the 
docks,  in  the  streets  and  cafes,  and  some  of  these  re- 
sulted in  personal  clashes  that  demanded  the  inter- 
ference of  the  patrol. 

It  must  be  confessed,  too,  that  these  acrimonious 
belittlements  of  Uncle  Sam's  victories  at  the  front  were 
by  no  means  confined  to  representatives  from  the  fore- 
castle and  the  barrack-room,  for  British  officers  them- 
selves were  equally  culpable  in  their  ridicule  of  the,  at 
least  to  them,  utterly  fantastic  claim  that  America  was 
winning  the  war.  One  evening  at  a  club  an  American 

[212] 


"T 


I  CTO  R  Y 


W 


officer,  who  was  a  guest,  commented  proudly  upon  the 
strong  American  predominance  in  the  latest  news  from 
France,  whereupon  an  English  major  made  the  sneering 
rejoinder: 

"Hysteria,  my  dear  fellow,  hysteria.  You  Americans 
have  taken  one  or  two  villages  and  are  jollying  your- 
selves into  the  notion  that  all  the  rest  of  us  are  standing 
still."  Whereupon  another  uncon vincible  Briton  re- 
marked: 

"It's  all  very  nice  for  you  Yankees  to  step  in  and 
claim  all  the  glory  after  we've  got  'em  licked,  isn't  it 
now?" 

The  American  officer  found  himself  incapable  of 
framing  an  adequate  reply  to  the  exhibitions  of  palpable 
jealousy,  so  turned  on  his  heel  and  walked  away  with 
the  only  obvious  reply,  "Oh,  what's  the  use?" 

These  incidents  are  here  recorded  to  substantiate  the 
oft-repeated  claim  that  such  resentment  of  American 
military  supremacy  existed  long  before  the  end  came; 
increased  in  intensity  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice; 
and  if  any  such  claims  of  this  supremacy  be  made  in 
future  history,  they  will  be  regarded  as  monumental 
jokes  among  such  of  our  allies  over  the  sea  as  have  no 
knowledge  of  what  has  been  written  into  Government 
records  and  distort  their  individual  beliefs  into  recorded 
facts. 

The  war  records  of  both  France  and  the  United  States 
will  show  that  the  mission  of  General  Joffre  to  this 
country  was  for  the  sole  purpose  of  demonstrating  that 
only  a  declaration  of  war  by  the  United  States  and  the 
sending  of  vast  armies  to  France  could  avert  so  awful  a 
calamity  as  the  domination  of  the  whole  of  Europe  by 
Germany;  the  records  of  both  our  Department  of  the 
Navy  and  the  British  Admiralty  and  War  Offices  will 


! 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


show  that  similar  pathetic  pleas  were  made  by  the 
representatives  of  the  British  government  sent  for  that 
purpose  to  Washington.  In  his  vigorous  and  undeniably 
truthful  autobiography,  Admiral  Sims  declares  that 
when  he  was  sent  on  a  secret  mission  to  England  he  was 
assured  by  the  Admiralty  ministers  that  unless  the 
United  States  should  interfere  the  Allies  could  not 
possibly  hold  out  for  thirty  days  longer;  and  this 
startling  confession  was  afterwards  affirmed  in  an 
audience  with  King  George  V,  who  added  his  plea  to 
those  of  his  ministers.  Small  wonder,  then,  that  Ameri- 
can soldiers  and  sailors  abroad  resented  with  voice  and 
brawn  the  sneering  personal  taunts  of  French  and 
English  soldiers  and  sailors  to  the  effect  that  they  were 
merely  eleventh-hour  heroes  who  claimed  a  share  of  the 
victory  already  won. 

To  return  to  the  Venetia.  Within  a  day  or  two  after 
the  last  arrival  from  Genoa,  orders  came  from  the  naval 
base  to  the  effect  that  she  was  to  be  sent  to  Madeira  and 
the  Azores  with  mails  and  supplies,  and  possibly  a  pas- 
senger or  two.  This  news  was  received  with  much  satis- 
faction, that  the  beloved  little  craft  was,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  to  return  to  the  pleasurable  activities  of 
yachting,  for  convoying  had  for  some  time  ceased  to 
furnish  any  of  the  excitements  of  naval  combat. 

The  warnings  of  late  with  reference  to  the  presence  of 
submarines  had  been  regarded  as  being  the  result  of 
nervous  suspicion,  and  there  had  not  been  a  sinking  in 
the  Mediterranean  for  many  weeks.  It  had  come  to  be 
generally  believed  that  now  both  German  and  Austrian 
U-boats  were  effectually  bottled  up  in  the  Adriatic,  and 
a  mighty  barrage  of  trawlers  and  gunboats  now  seemed 
to  render  impossible  the  passage  of  any  submerged  or 
floating  enemy  through  the  straits. 


OF    VICTORY 


So  the  coming  yachting  cruise  was  welcomed  with 
keen  delight,  for  there  is  no  more  charming  yacht  haven 
along  the  entire  European  or  African  coasts  than  that 
offered  by  the  port  of  Funchal;  and  what  made  the  voy- 
age all  the  more  like  a  pleasure  junket  was  the  fact  that 
there  was  no  slower  vessel  to  convoy  or  tow.  Once  more, 
too,  "a  new  face  across  the  table"  occasioned  the  usual 
grateful  smiles  of  hospitality,  in  the  person  of  Lieu- 
tenant Bouillot  of  the  French  Navy,  whom  the  Venetia 
was  to  "passenger"  to  his  latest  assignment  at  Madeira. 

It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the  extreme  reticence 
of  this  new  table  companion  was  a  matter  of  much  disap- 
pointment, both  to  the  bantering  humorists  and  those 
who  sought  such  information  or  gossip  as  might  be 
secured  from  an  officer  in  another  service.  In  point  of 
fact,  the  extent  of  his  knowledge  of  English  was  never 
definitely  established.  His  attempts  in  that  language 
were  confined  almost  exclusively  to  monosyllabic  direc- 
tions to  the  mess  attendants  with  reference  to  his  menu 
selections,  while  conversations  in  his  own  tongue  with 
those  Americans  who  flattered  themselves  that  they  had 
been  educated  in  it  afforded  considerable  amusement  to 
those  who  doubted  it. 

This  delightful  run  under  full  speed,  unhampered  by 
tow-line  or  convoy,  had  all  of  the  exhilaration  and  rest- 
inspiring  features  of  a  veritable  yachting  cruise.  There 
were  the  usual  precautions  of  darkened  ship  at  night, 
carefully  manned  lookouts,  and  the  armament  always 
ready  for  instant  action;  but  both  officers  and  crew  went 
about  their  duties  with  the  same  precision  and  sense  of 
security  that  characterize  intensive  drilling  in  times  of 
peace. 

The  three  days'  run  to  Madeira  was  marked  by  no 
incident  of  note  save  a  brisk  little  gale  which  came  one 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


day  to  relieve  the  pleasant  monotony  of  balminess  and 
sunshine.  On  the  early  morning  of  the  third  day  Funchal 
hove  in  sight,  with,  above  it,  the  tiny  mountain  ranges 
covered  with  verdure,  which  precipitated  among  officers 
and  crew  a  series  of  projected  jaunts,  and  possible 
feasts  enlivened  by  introductions  to  the  wines  of 
Madeira  in  their  native  habitat. 

To  the  deep  regret  of  everyone  concerned,  however, 
these  were  not  to  be,  for,  immediately  on  letting  go  the 
anchor,  the  quarantine  officer  came  alongside  and  de- 
clared that  no  one  must  land  from  the  Venetia,  since  it 
was  known  that  there  was  "Flu"  in  Gibraltar,  and  it 
was  not  proposed  that  the  scourge  should  be  imported 
into  Funchal  or  any  other  part  of  the  islands. 

Captain  Howell  protested  vehemently,  declaring  that, 
"Flu"  or  no  "Flu,"  he  must  land.  He  had  confidential 
mail  and  dispatches  to  deliver;  he  deemed  it  best  that 
these  should  be  delivered  in  person;  and,  despite  the 
warnings  of  the  quarantine  official,  ordered  his  boat 
alongside  and  shoved  off.  This,  however,  was  met  by 
further  official  interference,  backed  apparently  by  more 
determined  authority,  and  the  captain  was  forced  to 
return  to  the  ship,  where  he  radioed  to  Gibraltar  for 
definite  instructions  as  to  how  to  proceed.  Both  the 
American  and  British  consuls  came  out  for  their  confi- 
dential mail,  amid  inspiring  roars  of  celebration  from  the 
shore,  which  bore  all  of  the  earmarks  of  a  properly  con- 
ducted noisy  Fourth  of  July  in  the  United  States. 

There  were  bonfires,  firecracker  and  other  gunpowder 
explosions,  followed  by  discharges  of  musketry  and 
small  cannon;  and  as  if  the  glorious  news  had  been 
flashed  into  the  soul  of  everyone  aboard,  each  voice 
cried  out,  "Germany  has  quit!"  The  two  consuls,  how- 
ever, who  were  not  allowed  to  come  aboard,  shouted 


VICTORY 


from  the  safe  distance  decided  upon  by  the  harbor 
officials,  that  there  had  that  morning  come  an  unverified 
message  to  the  effect  that  an  armistice  had  been  signed, 
which  had  plunged  the  entire  population  into  a  wild 
fever  of  celebration.  The  news  had  been  contradicted 
almost  as  soon  as  received,  but  glorious  rumor  was  pre- 
ferred to  cold  fact  and  the  celebrations  continued 
throughout  the  day. 

If  the  Venetla  had  been  suddenly  transformed  into  a 
detention  hospital  for  the  isolation  of  a  hundred  violent 
cases  of  influenza,  instead  of  the  two  very  mild  cases 
aboard,  she  could  not  have  become  so  enveloped  in  the 
atmosphere  of  disappointment  and  depression  that  pre- 
vailed everywhere.  Not  only  had  her  personnel  for  a 
second  time  been  thwarted  in  a  desire  to  "do"  the 
beautiful  island  of  Madeira,  for  which  so  much  had  been 
promised,  but  here  was  a  celebration  going  on  ashore  in 
which  the  American  soul,  born  with  a  love  of  celebrant 
noises,  might  not  participate.  This  state  of  depression 
was  plunged  into  one  of  abject  despair  when  through 
the  mists  of  the  next  evening  from  the  northeast  there 
was  flashed  a  message  to  the  effect  that  at  two  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  that  never-to-be-forgotten  nth  of 
November,  1918,  the  armistice  had  actually  been  signed 
and  the  war  was  over,  with  the  glorious  light  of  victory 
glinting  the  banners  of  the  Allied  conquerors. 

There  was,  happily  enough,  a  single  ray  of  relief  to  the 
silence  of  depression,  in  the  hysterical  protests  of  Lieu- 
tenant Bouillot.  These  appealed  very  strongly  indeed  to 
the  American  sense  of  humor,  always  ready  to  secure  a 
laugh  from  the  discomfiture  of  someone  else.  It  mat- 
tered not  to  him  that  the  entire  personnel  of  the  Venetia 
had  been  forbidden  to  go  ashore;  his  mission  was  of 
paramount  importance  and  to  detain  him  was  a  national 

[217] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


outrage,  which,  in  due  time,  France  would  most  ade- 
quately avenge.  At  all  events,  this  was  the  generally 
accepted  translation  of  his  mad  flights  of  indignation, 
with  an  employment  of  English  words  in  the  approxi- 
mate ratio  of  one  to  ten. 

These  protests  were  renewed  with  an  increased  volume 
of  Gallic  expletive  and  spleen  when  Captain  Howell 
announced  that,  since  no  instructions  or  orders  had  come 
from  Gibraltar,  he  had  decided  to  wait  no  longer,  but 
would  steam  for  the  Azores  at  once.  This  intelligence, 
being  duly  conveyed  to  the  lieutenant,  he  hurried  to  the 
captain  trembling  with  the  fiery  wrath  of  a  commanding 
admiral  whose  orders  had  been  disobeyed. 

"C'est  impossible!"  he  shrieked.  "Je  suis  un  officier 
diplomatique  de  la  France.  C'est  necessaire  que  je  depart 
a  Funchal!" 

"  Je  nong  tong  pas,"  was  all  the  French  that  Captain 
Howell  could  command  offhand  at  that  particular 
moment,  engrossed  as  he  was  with  the  more  important 
matter  of  getting  under  way.  But  the  lieutenant  under- 
stood him  and  made  a  truly  painful  effort  at  framing  a 
reply  in  English: 

"I  forbid!  You  shall  not  go  to  ze  Azore!  I  make  spik 
for  France!"  Thereupon  the  captain  smiled. 

"Sorry,  sir,"  he  said.  "I'm  speaking  for  the  United 
States  and  I've  just  given  orders  to  get  under  way." 

At  that  very  moment  the  engines  began  to  throb  and 
the  Venetia  moved  with  rapidly  increasing  speed  toward 
the  open  sea.  The  irate  lieutenant  tried  to  protest  again, 
but  his  hysterical  rage  choked  him  and  he  strode  fore 
and  aft  along  the  gun-deck,  apparently  threatening  the 
most  condign  punishment  for  the  entire  United  States 
Navy  by  outraged  and  insulted  France.  Two  hours  later 
he  stood,  with  his  face  resting  between  his  hands  and 

[218] 


THE    APPROACH    OF    VICTORY 


looking  toward  the  fading  land,  the  picture  of  woe  and 
desolation. 

Then  there  came  a  radio  message  from  the  authorities 
at  Madeira  to  the  effect  that  arrangements  had  been 
made  for  the  landing  of  Lieutenant  Bouillot,  so  no  al- 
ternative was  left  for  Captain  Howell  but  to  return  at 
once.  As  the  harbor  was  again  approached,  a  Portuguese 
patrol-boat  relieved  the  Venetia  of  her  unwilling  guest, 
and  he  "shoved  off"  silently,  without  even  a  single 
gesture  of  farewell — save  a  very  perfunctory  salute  to 
Captain  Howell — and  he  paid  no  attention  whatever  to 
those  of  the  jocularly  inclined  junior  officers. 

Some  weeks  later  it  was  learned  through  correspon- 
dence that  the  Madeira  authorities,  having  received 
highly  exaggerated  reports  of  the  influenza  contagion  on 
the  Venetia^  confined  the  lieutenant  for  three  whole  days 
in  a  fumigating  room  before  he  was  finally  released. 

"I  wonder  what  they  did  with  that  bunch  of 'spinach,' " 
mused  one  of  the  younger  officers  in  the  wardroom  that 
night,  inelegantly  referring  to  the  magnificent  and  pro- 
digious beard  worn  by  the  French  officer. 

"Why,  fumigated  it,  of  course,"  was  the  reply.  "It 
would  have  been  a  crime  to  reap  away  a  luxurious  crop 
of  silken  whisker  that  has  been  nursed  and  fertilized 
ever  since  he  refused  his  first  shave." 

It  was  also  learned  from  several  of  the  kodak  fiends 
aboard  that  many  attempts  to  snap-shot  this  magnifi- 
cently bearded  little  Frenchman  had  met  with  unvarying 
failure,  evidently  because  of  the  lack  of  seriousness  on 
the  part  of  the  photographers.  One  of  them  told  that 
he  had  once  been  almost  on  the  point  of  pressing  the 
button  in  bright  sunshine,  when  the  subject  detected 
a  knot  of  the  sailors  laughing  at  him  and  indignantly 
covered  his  face  with  his  cap  and  hurried  out  of  focus. 

[219] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


On  the  way  to  Ponta  Delgada,  and  while  every  soul 
on  board  of  the  Venetia  was  still  bemoaning  the  denial 
of  a  share  in  the  great  victory  celebration  at  Funchal,  a 
radio  message  was  picked  up  announcing  the  destruc- 
tion by  a  torpedo  of  the  British  battleship  Britannia, 
with  an  appalling  loss  of  life,  on  the  day  after  the  signing 
of  the  armistice.  This  was  taken  by  all  to  have  been  an 
act  of  malignant  revenge  on  the  part  of  some  submarine 
commander,  and,  while  it  was  no  doubt  unauthorized, 
it  served  its  purpose  in  again  reflecting  the  spiteful  sen- 
timent of  a  relentless  and  uncompromising  foe. 


[  220] 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 


DAYS    OF   REJOICING 

FROM  THE  AZORES  TO  GIBRALTAR— CONTINUED  ALLIED  JEALOUSY— 
A  PLEASURE  TRIP  TO  LISBON— PORTUGUESE  HOSPITALITY— A 
FOODLESS  BANQUET— A  REGRETFUL  FAREWELL. 

HE  distress  at  having  been  denied  the 
privilege  of  adequately  celebrating  in  a 

T  friendly  island  city  the  sweeping  vic- 

£, g        tory  that  had  come  to  the  Allied  arms 

began  gradually  to  wear  away,  but,  two 
days  later,  when  Ponta  Delgada  was 
reached  blazing  with  excitement,  it  was  soon  replaced 
by  real  exhilaration.  It  is  told  that,  just  before  leaving 
Funchal,  one  of  the  officers,  under  stress  of  disgust  at 
being  quarantined,  emphasized  it  by  shaving  off  his 
mustache,  which  had  been  grown  and  fostered  with  such 
care  and  attention  that  it  was  one  of  the  jokes  of  the 
wardroom.  But  such  satisfaction  as  might  have  attached 
to  this  wanton  destruction  of  a  precious  facial  adorn- 
ment was  at  once  removed  by  the  assurance  of  his 
brothers  of  the  mess  that  the  operation  had  vastly 
improved  his  personal  appearance,  and  so  the  joke  was 
altogether  at  his  expense. 

The  day  and  a  half  at  Ponta  Delgada  was  not  placed 
under  the  usual  rigid  rules  by  overcautious  officials,  so 
almost  the  entire  ship's  company  hurried  ashore  to 

[221] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


celebrate.  One  of  the  officers  has  said  that  it  was  more 
or  less  of  a  "delayed  action"  celebration,  since  its  fervor 
was  somewhat  relaxed  after  three  days  of  continuous 
glorification,  but  much  of  it  was  still  going  on,  and  the 
appearance  ojf  several  scores  of  happy  mariners  bent 
upon  excitement  or  trouble  soon  fanned  what  dying 
embers  there  were  into  the  leaping  flames  of  friendly 
jollification. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  chronicler  to  record  the 
exact  extent  of  this  glorification  or  the  manner  of  mani- 
festing it.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  there  is  no  entry  in  the 
deck  log  of  the  Venetia  touching  upon  any  untoward 
official  action  "at  the  mast"  on  the  following  morning. 
Further  than  this,  it  was  admitted  once  in  conversation 
that  a  certain  officer  of  the  deck,  who  was  on  watch  as 
the  liberty  stragglers  crept  up  the  gangway  after  hours, 
found  something  of  greater  interest  beyond  the  opposite 
side  of  the  ship,  and  such  mild  offenders  as  there  hap- 
pened to  be  passed  quietly  down  to  their  quarters  un- 
detected. In  point  of  fact  there  seemed  to  be  a  general 
conviction  in  the  minds  of  those  in  the  different  grades 
of  authority  that  everyone  who  had  been  concerned  in 
an  achievement  for  which  the  world  had  been  waiting 
for  more  than  four  horrifying  years  should  be  permitted 
to  celebrate  it  in  his  own  blessed  way. 

To  the  infinite  credit  of  the  Portuguese  people  of  Ponta 
Delgada,  it  must  be  said  that  they  were  vastly  more 
cordial  to  the  men  of  the  Venetia  than  they  had  ever 
been  before.  These  humble  representatives  of  the 
smallest  of  the  Allied  nations  manifested  a  disposition 
to  magnify  rather  than  to  minimize  the  burdens  borne 
by  the  United  States  in  the  winning  of  the  war,  which, 
unhappily  for  their  sense  of  gratitude,  cannot  truthfully 
be  said  of  any  of  the  more  important  ones.  This  con- 

[  222  ] 


DAYS    OF    REJOICING 


gratulatory  attitude  was  noticed  everywhere  during  the 
two  days'  stay  in  this  usually  sleepy  little  port,  and  it 
was  several  times  declared  that  if  ever  the  Venetia 
should  happen  to  visit  Lisbon,  there  would  never  enter 
into  the  soul  of  any  of  her  company  an  atom  of  doubt 
as  to  Portugal's  impressions  concerning  what  the  United 
States  had  done  in  the  titanic  effort  to  secure  democ- 
racy for  a  dissatisfied  and  disrupted  world. 

The  reverse  of  this  sentiment  was  again  made  all  too 
apparent  when,  after  a  quick  run  of  three  days  to  the 
eastward,  Gibraltar  was  reached  again  and  the  liberty 
parties  hurried  ashore.  The  first  blaze  of  excitement 
immediately  following  the  armistice  had  died  *away  to 
some  extent,  but  everywhere  there  could  be  noticed  a 
spirit  of  egotistic  elation,  which  no  one  seemed  inclined 
to  share  with  anyone  else. 

In  all  quarters  there  existed  the  undeniable  proofs 
that  a  great  victory  had  been  won,  and  gigantic  prepar- 
ations were  under  way  already  for  the  disintegration  of 
the  land  and  sea  forces  and  as  immediate  a  departure 
under  the  homeward-bound  pennants  as  the  congested 
state  of  transportation  would  permit.  But  with  the  fare- 
wells for  all  time  almost  on  the  lips  of  those  brave  souls 
of  three  Allied  nations  who  had  been  fighting  shoulder 
to  shoulder  and  starboard  side  to  port,  all  fired  with  the 
same  laudable  determination  to  crush  an  over-ambitious 
and  greedy  foe,  there  seemed  a  selfish  reluctance 
among  the  men  of  one  nation  to  yield  to  those  of  any 
other  more  than  the  merest  modicum  of  glory. 

The  Englishmen  believed  that  they  had  flown  to  the 
succor  of  France  and  saved  her  from  utter  annihilation; 
the  Frenchmen  were  more  or  less  grateful  for  England's 
aid,  but  seemed  to  feel  that  in  time  they  might  have 
worked  out  their  own  salvation;  the  Americans  very 

[223] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


justly  felt  certain  that,  until  the  time  when  the  United 
States  thrust  her  reckless  soldiers  through  the  hitherto 
impregnable  German  lines  and  made  the  German 
blockade  in  the  North  Sea  a  substantial  reality,  there 
was  no  victory  anywhere  in  sight  for  the  Allied  hosts. 
It  is  true  that  the  Frenchmen  were  less  antagonistic 
toward  the  American  claims  than  were  the  Englishmen, 
and  they  seemed  disposed  to  accord  them  some  share  of 
memory's  loot  of  glory.  But  the  latter  were  inflexibly 
determined  not  only  to  appropriate  to  themselves  the 
lion's  share  of  that,  but  to  deny  that  the  Americans 
were  entitled  to  any  greater  share  than  might  attach  to 
an  eleventh-hour  interference  after  Germany  had  already 
been  crushed. 

The  conditions  found  this  time  in  Gibraltar  were  the 
same  as  existed  before  the  armistice — plus  more  jeal- 
ousy— and  while,  happily,  personal  encounters  were 
infrequent  because  of  the  vigilance  of  the  shore  patrol, 
the  verbal  disputes  were  many  indeed.  The  bad  feeling 
already  engendered  was  gradually  increasing  in  in- 
tensity, and  there  was  no  little  surprise,  and  much  sat- 
isfaction, on  board  of  the  Venetia  when  it  was  announced 
that  since  the  ship  would  not  be  ordered  home  for  some 
days,  it  had  been  decided  to  pay  a  visit  to  Portugal  for 
purposes  of  sightseeing  and  no  doubt  attendant  cele- 
brations of  the  signing  of  the  armistice. 

It  was  of  course  not  definitely  stated  officially  that 
this  distinctly  pleasure  trip  was  for  the  purpose  of 
searching  warmth  to  replace  the  coldness  of  Gibraltar. 
But  there  certainly  existed  a  general  feeling  aboard  of 
the  Venetia  that  no  other  condition  or  consideration 
could  have  inspired  it,  and  there  was  a  corresponding 
hearty  approval  of  the  order  which  seemed  to  render  it 
more  strongly  advisable.  This  feeling  continued  during 

[224] 


DAYS    OF    REJOICING 


all  of  the  daylight  hours  of  the  twenty-six  consumed  in 
the  run  to  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus  River,  which  pos- 
sesses the  not  unjust  distinction,  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  have  traversed  its  picturesque  and  ever-changing 
courses,  of  being  perhaps  the  most  beautiful,  in  a  pic- 
torial sense,  of  all  the  rivers  of  the  world. 

When  the  river-pilot  came  aboard  and  the  ship's 
prow  was  pointed  toward  a  rugged  reach  between  villa- 
dotted  hills,  a  Portuguese  transport  entered  the  river 
bearing  what  was  believed  to  be  almost  if  not  altogether 
the  entire  army  of  Portugal,  returning  from  France. 
Not  much  of  a  contingent,  it  is  true,  when  compared 
with  the  massive  forces  of  other  lands,  but  it  repre- 
sented what  was  perhaps  all  the  fighting  power  that  a 
struggling  republic  could  afford  to  send  away,  and  that 
republic  was  among  the  first,  if  not  altogether  the  first, 
of  the  smaller  nations  to  contribute  her  mite  in  support 
of  the  Allies.  Cheers  were  exchanged  again  and  again, 
which  continued  until  the  Venetia  lost  herself  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  everyone  aboard  of  her  regarded  the  welcome 
from  that  returning  transport  of  soldiers  who  knew  not 
for  what  they  had  fought,  as  a  good  omen  indicative  of 
a  heartier  welcome  when  the  capital  of  Portugal  should 
heave  in  sight. 

This  omen  was  fulfilled  to  the  utmost  limit,  for  had 
the  men  of  the  Venetia  been  the  sole  conquerors  of  the 
Hun  they  could  not  have  been  more  cordially  welcomed 
or  more  lavishly  entertained.  It  was  a  "wide-open" 
town  opened  wider  for  the  especial  benefit  apparently 
of  a  receptive  company  of  gallant  American  tars  who 
were  only  too  willing  to  pass  through  the  "open  door"  of 
hospitality.  The  splendid  clubs  were  opened  to  the 
officers;  the  most  magnificent  cafes  yet  visited  by  any  of 
the  crew  were  declared  to  be  theirs  during  the  entire 

[225] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


stay  of  their  ship  at  Lisbon ;  and  there  was  everywhere 
nothing  but  good  feeling  and  a  continuous  riot  of  genu- 
ine conviviality.  Naturally  enough,  those  to  whom  the 
encouragement  of  unbridled  revel  is  a  trade  lost  no 
effort  in  getting  next  to  the  pay-rolls  of  the  visitors  and 
absorbing  as  much  of  them  as  was  easily  detachable. 
At  the  same  time,  the  cupidity  was  not  so  blatantly 
"raw"  as  had  been  noticed  among  the  races  of  Moorish 
or  Arabian  extraction,  and  in  these  day  of  mutual  con- 
gratulation nobody  minded  much,  anyway. 

In  Lisbon,  too,  those  of  the  Venetias  youngsters  who 
fancied  an  occasional  wooing  of  the  goddess  of  chance 
had  their  first  opportunities  for  proving  how  unsafe  an 
investment  the  roulette  wheel  is,  amid  the  princely  sur- 
roundings of  the  Palace  Club  and  an  equally  splendid 
establishment  know  as  Maxime's,  in  place  of  the  smoky 
sordidness  of  the  gambling  dens  of  Bizerta  and  Tunis. 
Unlike  the  better  known  and  more  elaborate  Casino  at 
Monte  Carlo,  however,  there  was  no  limit  placed  upon 
time,  and,  instead  of  closing  at  eleven  o'clock,  every- 
thing remained  in  full  blast  until  four  in  the  morning. 
There  were,  of  course,  the  usual  stories  told  of  how  close 
someone  had  come  to  breaking  the  bank  but  had  failed 
by  making  some  false  play,  and  no  one  who  had  wooed 
the  fickle  goddess  had  other  than  losses  to  report. 

For  the  first  time  since  the  Venetia  had  been  in  the 
service  there  were  no  restrictions  placed  upon  social 
entertainment,  and  visitors  of  both  sexes  came  aboard 
for  tea  and  to  listen  to  the  narratives  of  actual  experi- 
ences in  encounters  with  submarines.  It  was  pleasant  to 
learn  from  several  of  these  visitors  that  the  Venetia  was 
generally  considered  to  have  been  the  avenger  of  the 
Lusitania\  and  since  the  proofs  seemed  to  be  almost 
beyond  contradiction,  much  surprise  was  expressed 

[226] 


THE  QUAY  AT  LISBON 


IN  THE  PALACE 


DAYS    OF    REJOICING 


when  they  were  informed  that  as  yet  there  had  come  no 
official  announcement  to  substantiate  the  claim.  These 
assurances,  however,  created  the  conviction  in  the 
minds  of  all  the  ship's  company  that  on  the  return  to 
Gibraltar  the  official  notification  must  come  that  would 
accord  the  right  for  the  placing  of  a  golden  star  upon 
the  funnel  in  proof  of  her  glorious  achievement. 

Thanksgiving  Day  was  celebrated  after  the  tradi- 
tional American  fashion  by  an  elaborate  luncheon  in  the 
wardroom  in  the  late  afternoon,  at  which  there  were 
several  guests,  and,  once  again,  the  cabins  of  the  Venetia 
resounded  with  the  almost  forgotten  music  of  woman's 
delight-inspiring  voice.  This  was  scarcely  ended  when 
Captain  Howell  came  aboard  and  announced  that  the 
entire  roster  of  officers  had  been  invited  for  the  evening 
to  a  splendid  banquet  and  ball  to  be  given  by  the 
Portuguese  government  in  honor  of  the  victory  of  the 
Allies,  and  that  all  must  wear  swords  and  as  complete 
full  uniform  as  was  permitted  by  war  regulations. 

There  were  many  who  had  deferred  the  eating  of 
their  Thanksgiving  dinner  until  that  much-to-be- 
desired  feast  could  be  dispatched  in  the  company  of  the 
President  of  Portugal,  and  all  proceeded  to  the  great 
auditorium  at  the  palace  with  appetites  well  whetted 
for  the  luscious  menu  to  be  laid  before  them  by  the 
democratic  ruler  of  the  Portuguese.  To  their  dismay, 
however,  instead  of  being  seated  at  festive  tables  groan- 
ing under  the  weight  of  gastronomic  luxuries,  they  were 
ushered  into  boxes  of  state,  and  looked  on  while  hun- 
dreds of  wounded  soldiers,  evidently  ill  at  ease  at 
having  been  placed  on  exhibition  before  the  assembled 
elite  of  Lisbon,  ate  their  meal  in  modest  silence  and 
looked  as  though  they  would  have  had  a  vastly  better 
time  alone  at  the  barrack  mess. 


I 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


The  President  arrived,  and  everyone  in  the  great 
audience  stood  at  salute,  the  now  appallingly  hungry 
officers  from  the  Venetia  feeling  certain  that  now  they 
must  surely  be  escorted  to  the  banquet  tables.  Instead 
of  this,  however,  the  President  made  a  distressingly  long 
speech  (in  Portuguese,  of  course),  announced  another 
speaker  (also  Portuguese),  and  the  audience  stood  at 
salute  again.  Another  speech,  in  this  unknown  tongue, 
longer  than  the  President's,  was  cheered  to  the  echo  by 
those  who  understood  it,  and  the  rising,  sitting,  orating, 
and  cheering  continued  for  hours.  Finally  at  1 1 130,  the 
President  announced  that  the  function  was  over  and 
left  the  auditorium  followed  by  the  entire  assemblage 
and  amid  the  strains  of  the  Portuguese  national  anthem, 
with  the  now  almost  famished  Americans  still  unfed. 
Happily,  however,  there  were  taxicabs  in  plenty;  several 
of  them  were  at  once  commandeered,  and  a  top-speed 
run  made  to  Maxime's,  where  there  were  no  considera- 
tions of  governmental  precedence  nor  any  summary 
dismissal  of  guests  until  daybreak;  shortly  after  which 
Venetias  wardroom  contingent  strolled  aboard,  thor- 
oughly fed,  completely  entertained,  and  well  rouletted. 

At  11:30  the  pilot  came  abroad  and  the  Venetia  pro- 
ceeded down  the  beautiful  Tagus,  with  every  heart 
among  her  company  full  of  gratitude  for  the  cordiality 
of  those  five  merry  days  in  hospitable  Lisbon.  It  has 
been  told  many  times  that  their  memories  will  ever  hold 
those  days  as  having  been  the  jolliest  in  their  war  ex- 
perience, and  all  the  more  grateful  because  they  were 
utterly  unexpected. 

Before  leaving  the  Tagus  a  message  was  brought  from 
the  radio-room  announcing  the  burning  at  her  docks  of 
the  splendid  steamship  Ophiry  once  operated  under  the 
flag  of  the  Spreckels  Companies.  This  message  was  sent 

[228] 


THE  BURNING  OF  S.  S.      OPHIR 


DAYS    OF    REJOICING 


to  the  Venetia^  not  only  because  of  the  one-time  same 
ownership,  but  to  announce  the  tragic  death  of  an  Oak- 
land boy  who  in  the  attempt  to  escape  through  a  dead- 
light opening  was  caught  as  if  in  a  vise  and  slowly 
burned  to  death. 

The  photograph  of  the  incident  was  given  to  the 
paymaster  on  the  return  to  Gibraltar,  and  an  eye- 
witness gave  a  stirring  account  of  the  gruesome  tragedy 
and  the  almost  superhuman  efforts  to  avoid  it.  But 
the  heat  was  so  great  and  the  hapless  little  victim  so 
tightly  wedged  in  the  narrow  diameter  of  the  dead- 
light that  the  would-be  rescuers  could  not  remain 
long  enough  to  widen  the  opening,  nor  could  the  victim 
extricate  himself  so  that  he  might  one  day  tell  the 
friends  at  home  of  one  of  the  narrowest  escapes  of 
the  war. 


[229] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 


QUEST   OF  THE   GOLD   STAR 

ANXIOUS  DAYS  AT  GIBRALTAR— NO  NEWS  FROM  ADMIRAL  SIMS- 
PERSISTENCE  OF  AN  ADVERSE  CLAIMANT— HOMEWARD-BOUND 
ORDERS  DELAYED— AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  GOLD  STAR  ON  THE 
FUNNEL  ARRIVES— WHO  AVENGED  THE  "LUSITANIA"? 

S  the  port  of  Gibraltar  was  entered  on 
the  return  from  Lisbon  the  U.  S.  cruiser 
Wheeling  passed  out  flying  the  home- 
ward pennant.  Every  heart  aboard  the 
Venetia  throbbed  with  the  sweet  cer- 
tainty that  she  must  soon  follow,  part- 
ing the  waves  on  the  vast  stretch  of  leagues  between  a 
stranger  land  and  home.  Sundered  hearts  were  to  be 
reunited,  severed  ties  made  whole  again,  mourning  fire- 
sides rekindled  into  happiness;  and  welcome  cheers  of 
friendship  were  to  awaken  the  silence  which  had  come 
at  parting. 

The  ship  moved  slowly  to  the  assigned  berth  along- 
side the  long  mole,  Captain  Howell  hurried  ashore  for 
consultation  with  the  American  admiral,  and  all  hands 
waited  patiently  for  the  good  news  that  it  seemed  cer- 
tain he  must  bring  back  with  him.  Their  first  thoughts 
naturally  were  of  home,  and  then  came  another  of 
paramount  importance,  not  only  to  them,  but  to  the 
service  in  which  they  had  risked  their  lives:  Was  the 


QUEST   OF    THE    GOLD    STAR 


Venetia  to  be  officially  accredited  as  the  true  and  only 
avenger  of  the  Lusitania?  The  anxious  hours  of  this 
waiting  was  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  the  mail,  and  the 
fortunate  recipients  of  letters  sought  the  solitude  of 
quiet  corners  to  read  them.  The  armistice  had  not  yet 
been  declared  when  they  were  written,  and  nearly  all  of 
them  expressed  in  tender  words  the  pains  of  separation, 
soon  to  be  dispelled  by  the  tidings  that  they  must  end 
before  the  joyful  replies  could  be  dispatched. 

Captain  Howell  seemed  more  than  usually  thoughtful 
when  he  returned.  The  almost  ever-present  smile  was 
not  present,  and  those  who  tried  to  read  his  thoughts 
through  his  eyes  imagined  that  behind  them  there  was 
either  unrelieved  anxiety  or  keen  disappointment.  But 
that  the  tidings  he  bore  were  not  secret  ones  became 
known  when  the  officer  of  communications  learned  of 
them  and  they  were  spread  about  the  ship.  The  date 
for  departure  had  not  yet  been  set,  and  Admiral  Niblack 
had  not  received  from  Admiral  Sims  at  London  any 
news  with  reference  to  the  just  claims  of  the  Venetia 
for  one  or  more  gold  stars.  All  that  was  definitely 
known  was  that  on  some  date,  as  yet  undecided,  the 
Venetia  and  Hannibal  were  to  escort  a  fleet  of  American 
submarine  chasers  across  the  ocean.  Soon  these  began 
to  arrive,  singly  and  in  groups,  from  their  base  at  the 
island  of  Corfu,  until  there  were  a  score  or  more  of  them 
moored  alongside  the  mole. 

It  were  idle  to  attempt  to  conceal  the  fact  that  the 
uncertainty  of  this  information  was  disappointing  to 
the  men  of  the  Venetia^  but  they  had  long  since  dis- 
covered that  service  in  the  navy  is  a  waiting  game,  and 
had  learned  how  not  to  yield  to  the  ill-temper  that 
comes  of  overstrained  anxiety.  In  place  of  this,  all  those 
whose  official  rating  gave  them  the  right  to  make  in- 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


quiries  exercised  that  right  on  their  own  account.  The 
Surveyor  was  in  port,  and  as  the  only  rival  to  the  Venetia 
in  the  claim  of  being  the  avenger  of  the  Lusitania,  her 
officers  were  sought  out  and  questioned  whenever  the 
opportunities  offered  themselves.  Captain  Pope,  her 
commander,  would  have  been  quite  satisfied  with  a 
share  of  the  glory,  but  her  executive  officer  refused  to 
concede  any  moiety  of  it  to  the  Venetia  or  any  other  ves- 
sel, that  refusal  being  based  upon  no  uncontested  facts 
but  merely  his  own  obstinate  personal  conviction.  Some 
of  the  officers  supported  him  in  this  strangely  selfish 
belief,  while  there  were  one  or  two  who  distinctly  op- 
posed him  and  declared  that  if  in  all  fairness  they  were 
called  upon  to  decide  between  the  two  vessels,  their 
decision  must  be  against  their  own.  This  dispute,  it  was 
now  evident,  must  continue,  gradually  increasing  in 
bitterness,  until  news  should  arrive  from  Admiral  Sims; 
and  all  concerned  now  preferred  to  await  that  news 
rather  than  to  depart  for  home. 

In  the  days  that  followed,  nothing  but  dullness  reigned 
aboard  the  Venetia,  and  there  was  no  change  of  any  kind 
except  that  a  new  and  very  welcome  watch  officer  was 
added  to  the  wardroom.  This  was  Ensign  C.  H.  Ben- 
ham,  who,  on  the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  resigned  a 
business  position,  entered  the  Naval  Academy,  and  so 
applied  himself  to  study  that  he  earned  a  commission  in 
four  months.  He  at  once  became  a  favorite  among 
officers  and  crew,  and  his  own  impressions  with  reference 
to  his  brief  service  on  the  Venetia  are  best  described  in 
his  own  words: 

"I  was  indeed  glad  to  be  ordered  to  the  Venetiay 
for  truly  she  is  a  wonder.  I  hugely  enjoyed  every  moment 
of  the  five  months  I  was  aboard  of  her,  for  in  every  way 
she  was  a  completely  'happy  ship,'  or,  as  the  sailors 

[232] 


ENSIGN  C.  H.  BENHAM 


QUEST    OF    THE    GOLD    STAR 


would  say,  she  is  a  home,  and  that  is  always  the  limit  of 
the  'gob's'  admiration."1 

The  dull  days  continued,  and  war-vessels  under  dif- 
ferent flags  moved  past  the  mole  where  the  little  gray 
lady  from  California  lay,  and  passed  Europa  Point  Light 
on  their  way  homeward.  The  U.  S.  ships  Wenonahy 
ArcturuS)  and  Druid  stood  out  with  flags  flying,  bidden 
Godspeed  by  the  cheers  of  the  friendly ;  and  there  were 
wondering  queries  all  about  as  to  why  it  was  that  no 
definite  orders  of  any  kind  had  come  for  the  Venetia. 
Someone  ventured  the  opinion  that  perhaps  Captain 
Howell,  under  instructions  from  Admiral  Niblack,  was 
awaiting  a  message  from  Admiral  Sims  at  London,  and 
then  patience  came  again  to  the  anxious  ones  who  were 
chafing  under  the  apparent  neglect  that  was  depriving 
them  of  their  just  share  of  glory.  Closely  following  the 
other  ships,  the  Surveyor — now  a  bitter  rival — circled 
around  the  end  of  the  mole  and  stood  out  to  sea.  There 
was  a  sigh  or  two  of  relief  that  whatever  claims  the 
Venetia  might  make  in  the  future  would  not  be  disputed 
by  any  possible  contestant,  when  there  came  a  shout  of 
joy  from  the  lily  farmer: 

"  I  win !  I  made  a  bet  with  a  Surveyor  quartermaster 
that  she  wouldn't  have  a  gold  star  on  her  stack  before 
she  sailed  away,  and  it  ain't  there!" 

When  he  was  reminded  that  there  might  be  some 
difficulty  in  collecting  his  money,  he  replied: 

"Oh,  I'll  get  it  all  right.  I'll  follow  his  trail,  and  if  he 
happens  to  be  in  jail  when  I  find  him  I'll  be  sent  in  after 
him,  if  I  have  to  get  arrested  for  stealing  pennies  from 
an  organ  monkey's  pocket." 

It  now  became  known  that  the  ship's  departure  for 
home  would  not  be  delayed  beyond  a  very  few  days, 

JEnsign  Benham  is  still  in  the  service  in  command  of  submarine  chaser  307. 
[233] 


(<?J 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


which  was  information  encouraging  and  reassuring,  for 
the  Wadena,  Sacramento,  Paducah,  and  Manning  had 
just  passed  with  colors  fluttering  elation,  bound  for  New 
York,  followed  by  many  jealous  eyes  from  the  deck  of 
the  Venetia.  Immediately  plans  were  laid  for  the  ap- 
proaching farewell  to  Gibraltar,  and  the  manner  of  it 
called  forth  both  kindly  consideration  and  bellicose 
threats.  Those  evincing  the  former  believed  that  the 
Allied  governments  had  been  in  no  way  responsible  for 
the  taunts  of  their  land  and  sea  forces  voiced  by  in- 
feriors and  were  in  every  way  friendly  to  the  United 
States.  Others,  however,  believed  that  there  should  be 
another  scrimmage  or  two  to  emphasize  the  Yankee 
contempt  for  their  menial  critics;  but  the  wiser  counsels 
prevailed  and  it  was  decided  that  while  the  final  good- 
bye would  be  physically  peaceful,  it  might  be  mentally 
surcharged  with  any  amount  of  scorn  and  dislike,  bar- 
ring, of  course,  any  too  violent  expression  thereof. 

It  became  known  that  at  last  the  homeward-bound 
voyage  was  about  to  begin  and  that  the  date  had  been 
definitely  set  for  December  2ist.  There  were  several 
hurried  rounds  of  shopping  for  the  purpose  of  providing 
belated  Christmas  souvenirs  for  the  home  folk,  in  which 
it  was  discovered  that  the  ending  of  the  war  had  not  in 
the  slightest  degree  lessened  the  gouging  propensities 
of  the  various  tradesmen  and  hucksters  of  Gibraltar. 
The  good  buyers  reported  several  instances  of  bar- 
gaining ruinous  to  the  sellers,  while  the  poorer  business 
men  complained  that  they  had  been  robbed  more  un- 
blushingly  than  ever. 

The  anxiety  aboard  with  reference  to  the  granting  of 
the  gold  star  had  not  been  dispelled  by  any  news  from 
London,  and  yet  the  busy  ones  who  had  been  investi- 
gating the  identity  of  the  three  submarines  interned  at 


QUEST    OF    THE    GOLD    STAR 


Cartagena  were  more  completely  convinced  than  ever 
that  the  Venetia  had  certainly  earned  one  star  and 
should  be  granted  two.  The  U-57  had  limped  into  Car- 
tagena following  the  attack  of  May  nth  when  the 
Susette  Fraissinet  was  torpedoed,  and  it  was  on  this 
occasion  that  the  Venetia  had  dropped  seven  depth 
charges  almost  directly  into  the  wake  of  a  submarine, 
evidently  the  one  that  had  discharged  the  destroying 
torpedo.  On  the  morning  following  the  attack  of  May 
iyth,  in  which  the  Whatley  Hall,  Sculptor ',  and  Messidor 
were  the  victims,  the  U-J9 — conceded  to  have  been  the 
destroyer  of  the  Lusitania — made  her  way  into  Car- 
tagena in  a  sinking  condition,  and  reported  that  she 
had  passed  through  a  very  volcano  of  depth  charges 
dropped  from  a  brilliantly  camouflaged  yacht.1  The 
Messidor  was  torpedoed  on  July  23rd,  and  on  that  date 
the  Venetia  circled  about  the  obvious  position  of  the 
submarine  that  had  done  the  mischief  and  dropped 
fourteen  charges,  with  the  result  that  on  the  following 
evening  U-boat  59  struggled  into  Cartagena  hopelessly 
disabled. 

It  was  now  learned  that  before  the  departure  of  the 
Surveyor  for  home  some  of  her  officers  asserted  that  their 
claim  was  not  based  upon  the  dual  attack  on  the  night 
of  May  iyth  in  which  she  and  the  Venetia  were  con- 
cerned, but  upon  an  individual  attack  of  her  own  made 
later  in  the  night  and  on  the  other  quarter  of  the  convoy. 
There  was  no  one  on  board  of  the  intrepid  little  Cali- 
fornian  who  was  prepared  to  make  the  extravagant 
claim  that  this  vessel  was  alone  responsible  for  the 
disabling  of  all  three  of  the  interned  U-boats;  but  there 
will  never  be  the  slightest  doubt  in  the  mind  of  anyone 

*It  should  be  remembered  that  on  the  night  referred  to  the  Venetia  dropped 
twelve  charges  before  the  arrival  of  the  Surveyor  on  the  scene. 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


aboard  but  that  to  her  depth  charges  must  be  ascribed 
the  honor  of  having  put  at  least  two  of  them  out  of 
business. 

Before  the  appointed  day  of  departure  for  home  the 
long-awaited  authority  to  wear  the  gold  star  arrived 
from  London.  This  was  in  the  shape  of  a  copy  of  Admiral 
Sims's  Confidential  Bulletin,  in  which  it  was  stated  that 
both  his  office  and  the  British  Admiralty  had  awarded 
gold  stars  to  the  American  converted  yachts  Venetia  and 
U.  S.  S.  Surveyor,  each  having  surely  destroyed  at  least 
one  submarine.  In  the  opinion  of  Admiral  Sims  the 
Venetia  should  have  been  awarded  two  stars,  since 
apparently  it  must  have  been  she  who  disabled  the 
U-39,  now  interned  with  other  U-boats  in  the  port  of 
Cartagena.  This  view  of  the  matter,  however,  the 
Admiralty  declined  to  adopt  in  the  absence  of  what  it 
considered  incontrovertible  proof;  and  this  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  the  American  admiral  had  based  his  latter 
opinion  upon  the  diary  of  a  junior  officer  of  the  U-59, 
which  stated  that  it  must  have  been  the  converted 
yacht  Venetia^  well  known  on  account  of  her  conspicuous 
camouflage.  This,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  afterwards 
changed  to  battle  gray,  because,  as  discovered  from  an 
interned  German,  she  had  become  an  object  of  super- 
stitious dread. 

There  was  general  joy  aboard  the  now  officially 
honored  little  ship.  Two  governments  had  awarded  her 
a  gold  star,  and,  while  the  records  of  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment would  strictly  name  two  avengers  of  the  Lusitania, 
for  reasons  already  enumerated,  all  aboard  the  Venetia 
felt  quite  justified  in  declining  to  consent  to  such  part- 
nership, with  a  divided  glory  which  they  could  not 
bring  themselves  to  believe  should  have  been  so 
arbitrarily  insisted  upon.  So  the  chief  machinist  was 

[236] 


MOLES  AND  DOCKS  AT     GIB 


HOMEWARD  BOUND! 


QUEST    OF    THE    GOLD    STAR 


directed  to  begin  the  construction  of  a  gold  star  at  once. 
Then,  following  the  assured  belief  of  Admiral  Sims, 
who  had  expressed  his  opinion  that  in  all  fairness  there 
should  be  two,  the  order  was  increased  by  one  star — 
he  being  the  only  recognized  commander  of  the  Ameri- 
can Navy  abroad — so  the  two  stars  were  duly  completed 
and  mounted  on  the  funnel  top  out  at  sea,  one  on  either 
side. 


[237] 


CHAPTER  XXXV 


HOMEWARD   BOUND 

GOOD-BYE  TO  THE  WAR  ZONE— TOWING  LITTLE  FELLOWS  HOME— 
ANOTHER  CHRISTMAS  AT  SEA— A  REAL  AMERICAN  NEW  YEAR*S 
EVE— A  BUSY  RUN  TO  THE  VIRGIN  ISLANDS. 

UST  before  departing  from  the  zones  of 
war — let  it  be  hoped  for  all  time — the 
mail  brought  many  packages  of  gifts 
intended  to  be  opened  on  Christmas, 
and  it  was  decided  to  leave  the  seals  and 


knotted  strings  untouched  until  that 
day,  when  they  would  be  opened  with  as  much  extrava- 
gant ceremony  as  the  Danielsian  naval  regulations 
would  permit.  From  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  came  enough  to- 
bacco and  cigarettes  to  make  a  substantial  package  for 
every  man  in  the  ship's  company,  and  the  filling  of  the 
refrigerators  with  a  liberal  supply  of  turkeys  gave 
evidence  that,  gastronomically,  at  least,  there  would  be 
nothing  lacking  that  could  provide  for  both  wardroom 
and  forecastle  mess  a  true  American  Christmas  dinner. 
At  8:15  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  December  21, 
1918,  good-bye  was  said  to  Gibraltar,  be  it  acknowl- 
edged with  but  few  tinges  of  regret.  Not  only  because 
with  that  farewell  would  come  a  steaming  away  for 
home,  but  there  had  been  for  some  days  a  stubborn  lack 
of  cordiality  among  our  presupposedly  Allied  friends 


BOUND 


that  had  not  made  them  objects  for  cherished  memory. 
When  the  Venetia  was  well  under  way,  however,  and 
had  swung  around  the' mole  toward  Europa  Point,  there 
came  a  sudden  change  of  sentiment,  at  least  among  the 
Allied  naval  forces  in  the  harbor.  Decks  of  war- vessels 
were  manned,  and  cheers  given  and  returned  which  had 
real  heartiness  in  them,  and  the  echoes  followed  the 
departing  ships  out  into  the  broad  Atlantic. 

It  was  indeed  a  stately  towing  squadron  that  pointed 
to  the  westward  that  morning,  and  there  were  now  no 
muttered  complaints  at  having  been  assigned  to  the 
menial  occupation  of  towing.  Most  of  the  war-vessels 
had  scored  heavily  in  the  more  important  duties  of  war 
and  were  now  glad  to  pass  the  tow-lines  to  the  little 
submarine  chasers,  who  could  not  be  expected  to  make 
some  of  the  long  laps  on  the  homeward  voyage  always 
under  their  own  power.  There  were  sixteen  of  these 
saucy  little  fellows  in  all.  The  Venetia  assumed  charge 
of  submarine  chaser  223 ;  the  Hannibal  towed  two,  the 
Castine  two,  and  the  Cythera^  Ossipee,  Algonquin,  and 
Lydonia  one  each.  When  well  under  way  the  tow-lines 
were  cast  off  and  the  chasers  followed  their  respective 
guard-ships  at  a  safe  distance,  but  close  enough  to  call 
for  aid  should  occasion  require.  This  occurred  more  than 
once  even  on  the  short  run  to  the  Azores,  for  the  heavy 
engines  of  the  chasers  are  greedy  consumers  of  fuel;  and 
it  was  decided  that  in  order  to  avoid  untoward  delay  in 
the  future,  each  of  the  little  fellows  would  be  given  a 
tow  for  one  day  in  turn,  for  with  one  of  them  in  tow  the 
speed  of  the  entire  squadron  must  be  reduced  to  nearly 
one-half. 

Christmas  Eve  came  accompanied  by  balmy  airs  and 
a  smooth  sea,  and  preparations  were  begun  for  the 
proper  celebration  of  the  all-important  holiday  to  follow. 


<£^ 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


There  were  no  longer  any  restrictions  in  respect  to  lights 
at  night,  and  the  wardroom  piano  might  be  strummed  to 
the  heart's  content  of  anyone  who  could  play  it,  whether 
or  no  anyone  within  hearing  distance  was  in  need  of  rest 
or  sleep.  The  war  was  over,  and  the  squadron  on  merry 
homeward  way,  following  the  long-awaited  declaration 
of  peace  and  the  final  orders  to  depart.  Such  of  the 
decorations  as  had  been  preserved  after  a  similar  but 
somewhat  restricted  celebration  of  the  year  before  were 
gotten  out  and  hung  in  the  wardroom  and  crew's  quar- 
ters, while  those  who  remembered  the  customs  of  the 
youth-time  hung  their  socks  in  conspicuous  places,  so 
that  thoughtful  friends  might  test  their  capacities  as 
far  as  the  somewhat  meagre  conveniences  of  that  nature 
could  be  expected  to  permit. 

Early  on  Christmas  morning  everyone  was  astir  and 
gifts  were  presented,  interchanged,  and  bargained  for, 
with  not  a  soul  on  board  who  had  not  been  remembered 
by  someone.  The  packages  from  home  were  opened  amid 
smiles,  exclamations,  and  tears  of  joy;  the  brave  men 
of  the  Venetia,  after  eighteen  months  of  grueling  duty 
through  many  dangers,  had  become  boys  again  in  cele- 
bration of  the  coming  of  Santa  Claus.  There  were 
safety-razors,  jack-knives,  comfort-kits,  sewing-kits, 
candies,  nuts,  raisins,  handerchiefs,  socks  and  helmets 
and  mufflers  knitted  by  waiting  loved  ones  before  it  was 
known  that  the  war  was  so  suddenly  to  end. 

Everywhere  about  the  ship  the  spirit  of  home  at 
Christmas-tide  was  gloriously  present;  for  the  first  time 
the  confined  limits  of  the  now  victorious  Venetia  seemed 
a  veritable  home,  lacking  only  the  presence  of  loved 
ones;  the  Christmas  dinner  was  as  liberally  toothsome, 
turkey,  mince  pie  and  all,  as  the  most  lavish  home  could 
have  wished  for,  and  only  the  cranberries  were  lacking. 

[240] 


LIBERTY  PARTY  LANDING 


THE  CONCEALED  BEAUTY  OF  PONTA  DELGADA 


HOMEWARD    BOUND 


It  was  a  wondrous  day,  this  home-coming  Christmas  of 
the  year  of  our  Lord  1918,  and  one  that  will  always  be 
remembered  by  the  now  dispersed  and  widely  separated 
company  of  the  Venetia. 

At  Ponta  Delgada,  which  was  reached  on  the  day 
after  Christmas,  there  passed  a  week  of  entertainment, 
reunions  of  long-separated  friends,  interchanges  of  ex- 
periences, and  the  spinning  of  yarns  anent  the  strenuous 
times  that  were  before  the  coming  of  peace.  The  little 
harbor  of  Ponta  Delgada,  which  is  only  a  breakwater 
and  a  corresponding  stretch  of  shore,  seemed  heavy  with 
the  joy  of  home-coming,  for  it  was  full  to  the  point  of 
congestion  with  every  manner  of  craft,  those  of  war  as 
well  as  of  peace,  and  all  homeward  bound. 

The  memory  of  the  last  year's  almost  silent  New 
Year's  Eve  at  Bermuda  was  still  lingering  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  had  been  forced  to  share  its  distress- 
ing quietude;  but  it  was  forever  swept  into  oblivion  by 
the  wild  outbreak  that  followed  the  dozens  of  clangs  of 
"Eight  bells"  at  the  birth  of  the  last  year  of  the  Venetia  s 
war  days.  Steam  whistles  and  sirens  shrieked,  all  bells  in 
the  town  were  rung,  over  and  over  again,  and  the  pande- 
monium continued  until  it  seemed  as  though  the  in- 
struments of  it  must  have  grown  tired  and  mutinied 
themselves  into  silence,  or  else  the  thousands  of  merry 
roysterers  had  insisted  upon  being  permitted  to  "hear 
themselves  think." 

Ponta  Delgada  seemed  now  to  have  taken  on  the 
celebrant  attitude  of  the  rest  of  the  countries  of  the 
world,  save  only  those  to  whom  war  is  second  nature  or 
a  means  of  elevation  to  wealth  and  power  to  be  secured 
in  no  other  way.  It  revealed  beauties  that  it  was  never 
known  to  possess  before,  and  its  people,  once  kindly  but 
unresponsive,  had  become  insistently  hospitable  and 


riotously  demonstrative.  In  point  of  fact  the  entire  week 
was  one  of  constant  celebration  and  conviviality,  and 
there  were  never  on  any  day  ceremonies  "at  the  mast," 
because  the  various  officers  of  the  deck  never  made  any 
records  of  the  behavior  of  returning  shore  parties  and 
the  officer  of  the  shore  patrol  saw  no  necessity  under  the 
joyous  circumstances  for  being  at  all  vigilant  or  in- 
quisitive. 

On  the  2nd  of  January  the  great  fleet  of  homeward- 
bound  craft  bade  farewell  to  the  Azores  and  proceeded 
due  west  in  four  squadrons,  led  by  the  Algonquin, 
Ossipee,  and  Castine  and  followed  by  the  Hannibal, 
Chestnut  Hill,  Lapwing,  Ontario,  Lydonia,  Cythera,  and 
Sonoma.  Memory  of  the  stormy  voyage  of  the  "suicide 
fleet"  of  the  winter  before  was  revived  by  the  appear- 
ance of  bad  weather,  which  necessitated  very  slow 
progress  of  the  four  squadrons,  and  extraordinary  care 
in  the  guarding  of  the  increased  fleet  of  submarine 
chasers,  which  were  often  compelled  to  battle  their  way 
in  fours  to  the  Chestnut  Hill  for  fuel  oil.  This  was  no 
easy  task  in  the  heavy  sea,  for  the  oil  had  to  be  supplied 
to  each  of  them  through  a  long  hose,  which  it  was  not 
only  difficult  to  line  aboard,  but  even  more  so  to  hold 
when  it  was  gotten  there. 

Fortunately  the  weather  moderated,  and  in  order 
to  avoid  if  possible  further  storms,  the  course  was  al- 
tered slightly  to  the  southward,  in  the  direction  of  what 
are  known  as  the  "horse  latitudes,"  where  it  is  generally 
calm.  Constant  communication  of  a  most  intimate 
nature  was  continuously  preserved  between  the  many 
vessels  of  the  four  squadrons  through  the  unrestricted 
use  of  the  recently  installed  wireless  telephones,  which 
made  conversation  quite  as  effective  at  sea  as  it  could 
possibly  be  by  means  of  the  wire  lines  ashore.  Confiden- 


HOMEWARD    BOUND 


tial  communication,  however,  is  not  possible  through 
this  system,  for  every  receiver  within  the  prescribed 
radius  can  easily  hear  what  is  said  and  there  are 
naturally  many  "  listeners-in." 

An  amusing  incident  illustrative  of  this  lack  of  secret 
communication  was  told  by  a  listener-in  aboard  of  the 
Venetia.  Captain  Joyer  of  the  Hannibal  was  the  ranking 
officer  of  the  four  squadrons  and  consequently  their 
commodore.  He  was  a  great  stickler  for  good  form  and 
in  good  or  bad  weather  was  sure  to  specify  what  uni- 
form should  be  worn  for  the  day.  On  this  particular 
morning  the  order  was  telephoned  from  the  flagship: 

"Hello,  everybody!  The  uniform  for  the  day  will  be 
'whites/  ' 

Then  from  the  commander  of  one  of  the  ever- 
unsteady  chasers: 

"Hello,  flagship!  Does  that  order  apply  to  the 
chasers?"  To  which  Captain  Joyer  himself  replied: 

"No!  Who  the  dickens  would  suspect  them  of  be- 
longing to  the  navy  anyway?" 

A  few  days  later  the  "flag"  again  telephoned  that 
"whites"  would  be  the  uniform  for  the  day,  when  some- 
one answered  from  one  of  the  other  ships: 

"We're  out  of  pants.  Been  wearing  whites  ever  since 
we  left  Gibraltar." 

Then  all  of  the  "listeners-in"  heard  the  following 
reply  from  the  resourceful  "flag": 

"All  right;  wear  white  blouses  and  blue  pants!" 

Naturally  enough,  with  his  punctilious  insistence 
upon  a  change  of  uniform  whenever  it  might  happen  to 
appeal  to  his  sense  of  authority,  it  could  not  have  oc- 
curred to  Captain  Joyer  that  lavish  entertainment  of 
some  kind  must  be  an  obvious  accompaniment  to  the 
coming  visit  to  St.  Thomas,  that  "whites"  is  the  only 


f 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


proper  uniform  for  those  latitudes,  and  that  while  the 
Government  supplies  the  enlisted  man  with  uniforms, 
the  officers  must  provide  their  own;  and  soon  numerous 
pairs  of  white  "pants"  were  floating  to  the  breezes  fore 
and  aft. 

Continuous  normal  speed  was  not  expedient  because 
of  the  necessity  of  many  reductions  to  "one-third 
normal"  in  order  that  a  group  of  the  chasers  might  be 
fueled.  Fair  progress  was  made,  however,  in  the  existing 
circumstances,  and  St.  Thomas,  the  chief  port  of  Uncle 
Sam's  latest  purchased  possession,  the  Virgin  Islands, 
was  reached  shortly  after  noon  on  the  fourteenth  day 
after  leaving  the  Azores. 


THE  HARBOR  OF  ST.  THOMAS 


LEAVING  ST.  THOMAS 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 


I 


ANOTHER   LAP   HOMEWARD 

BRIEF  STAY  AT  ST.  THOMAS— A  STRANGE  CELEBRATION  OF  ANNEXA- 
TION TO  THE  UNITED  STATES— MANY  INTERESTING  JAUNTS  — 
BLUEBEARD'S  CASTLE— GUANTANAMO  AND  PANAMA. 

N  a  pictorial  sense,  the  Virgin  Islands 
purchase  must  be  regarded  as  having 
in  every  way  justified  the  expenditure 
of  the  amount  of  money  involved,  for 
it  is  truly  a  jewel  of  the  deep  well  worth 
having.  Its  promise  of  commercial  im- 
portance will  of  course  depend  upon  how  capable  its 
future  business  managers  are,  for  it  is  wonderfully 
fertile,  and  there  are  many  places  amid  the  luxuriant 
growth  of  the  hillsides  which  offer  ideal  sites  for  erec- 
tion of  winter  hotels  to  compete  with  the  British  ones 
in  Nassau,  Bermuda,  and  Jamaica.  As  a  strategic  naval 
base  in  time  of  war  its  value  cannot  be  overestimated, 
a  fact  already  foreshadowed  by  far-seeing  Germany 
during  the  years  when  she  was  palpably  reaching  out 
for  vantage-grounds  from  which  to  secure  a  future 
domination  of  the  world.  Ocular  proof  of  this  was  un- 
covered when  the  United  States  took  possession  of  the 
massive  Hamburg-American  building,  which  is  not  only 
larger  than  commerce  in  those  waters  would  seem  to 
justify,  but  military  experts  have  testified  that  its 


V    E    N    E  A 


heavy  stone  foundations  could  have  been  intended  for 
no  other  purpose  than  the  mounting  of  heavy  guns. 

No  sooner  had  the  fleet  arrived  at  St.  Thomas  than 
the  fruit  pedlers  and  bumboat  men  and  women  who 
came  from  the  shore  reported  that  a  great  celebration 
was  in  progress  by  way  of  expressing  the  people's  ap- 
proval of  the  annexation  to  the  United  States.  This  of 
course  hastened  the  hurrying  of  liberty  parties  ashore, 
and  the  sight  presented  by  the  many  whale-boats  and 
launches  crossing  the  harbor  at  full  speed  created  no 
other  impression  than  that  of  a  great  regatta  to  test  the 
speed  and  endurance  of  the  small  boats  of  the  fleet. 

This  merry  invasion  naturally  involved  the  detailing 
of  a  strong  shore  patrol,  but  soon  the  patrolmen  and 
their  officers  became  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the 
event  and  celebrated  on  their  own  account,  but  of 
course  keeping  some  show  of  official  dignity  whenever 
occasion  justly  required  it.  Truly  enough  it  was  a  gala 
day,  this  outpouring  of  an  entire  population  in  ratifica- 
tion of  a  sale  that  gave  them  a  change  of  government, 
and  the  ratifying  proceedings  certainly  bore  every 
semblance  of  overflowing  sincerity.  It  seemed  as  though 
every  village,  hamlet,  and  plantation  for  many  miles 
around  St.  Thomas,  as  well  as  the  neighboring  islands, 
had  become  depopulated  and  the  dusky  inhabitants 
hurried  to  the  principal  city,  clad  in  their  "Sunday 
best,"  which  means  that  every  man  was  in  immaculate 
white  with  straw  hat,  and  every  woman  caparisoned  in 
gaudy  colors  and  heavy  necklaces  of  native  beads.  The 
procession  in  the  afternoon  was  of  surprising  length  for 
so  comparatively  small  a  population,  and  in  the  evening 
every  floor  that  offered  sufficient  space  for  dancing  was 
crowded  to  overflowing.  In  most  of  these  functions  it 
was  noticed  that  there  was  but  small  distinction  drawn 


ANOTHER    LAP    HOMEWARD 


between  the  lines  of  race  or  color.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
such  a  removal  of  race  prejudice  was  an  arbitrary 
matter  if  the  sailors  from  the  fleet  must  provide  them- 
selves with  dancing  partners,  so  they  made  no  distinc- 
tion whatever,  and  danced  with  maidens  black,  white, 
yellow,  and  brown  until  daylight. 

At  the  official  functions  and  on  the  dancing  floors  of 
hotels,  the  commissioned  officers  were  not  so  often 
subjected  to  the  painful  necessity  of  making  or  over- 
looking these  distinctions,  although  there  were  many 
cases  where  olive  complexions  and  "kinky"  hair  had  to 
be  overlooked  for  the  sake  of  politeness,  and  in  considera- 
tion of  the  fact  that,  being  invited  guests,  all  other 
guests  must  be  received  on  terms  of  absolute  equality. 

The  consensus  of  opinion  aboard  the  ships  was  largely 
to  the  effect  that  the  dancing  partners  of  St.  Thomas, 
whom  the  lily  farmer  had  given  the  name  of  "Coon 
Swedes,"  on  account  of  their  peculiar  dialect,  were  only 
in  remote  cases  to  be  frowned  upon ;  for  all  of  them  were 
exceedingly  courteous  and  polite  to  their  new  fellow- 
countrymen,  and  many  of  them  pretty  in  complexions 
of  pink  and  white,  which  caused  the  few  "kinks"  in  the 
hair  to  be  almost  entirely  overlooked. 

The  stay  of  eight  days  at  St.  Thomas  provided  for  the 
home-coming  heroes  a  series  of  dinners,  dances,  and 
jaunts  through  the  beautiful  environs  of  the  city  and 
the  even  more  attractive  ones  of  the  truly  poetic  little 
town  of  Charlotte  Amalie,  high  above  the  harbor  and 
in  places  almost  concealed  amid  tangles  of  tropical 
growths.  There  were  many  chance  reunions  between  old 
friends,  and  the  Californians  met  many  one-time  asso- 
ciates of  the  training  days  at  San  Pedro  and  other  naval 
bases.  The  evenings  were  a  succession  of  jovial  enter- 
tainment and  interchanges  of  war  experiences,  while 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


during  the  day  the  roads  disclosed  endless  processions  of 
sightseeing  Americans,  as  though  they  had  appointed 
themselves  on  committees  of  inspection  to  report  on 
their  new  possession.  Many  of  them  wondered  if  they 
had  really  been  misled  when  the  inhabitants,  with  a 
seriousness  that  certainly  inspired  conviction,  assured 
them  that,  in  spite  of  its  original  Oriental  flavor,  the 
story  of  the  murderous  Bluebeard  was  not  only  true,  but 
had  actually  happened  here  on  the  Virgin  Islands.  The 
main  tower  of  the  original  Bluebeard  castle  where  the 
hapless  seven  wives  were  murdered  is  still  standing  in  a 
remarkable  state  of  preservation,  considering  the  age 
of  this  venerable  history;  but  the  original  property  was 
bought  by  an  American  named  Neis,  who  entirely  rebuilt 
the  old  castle,  leaving  only  the  tower,  and  a  secret 
underground  passage  from  the  old  castle  crypts  to  the 
sea,  through  which  Bluebeard  brought  his  piratical 
booty.  The  gardens  are  gloriously  magnificent,  and  the 
gorgeous  panorama  of  the  harbor  of  St.  Thomas,  the 
many  neighboring  islands,  and  the  open  ocean  offers 
ample  proof  that  if  Bluebeard  really  lived  on  this 
beautiful  eminence  he  had  an  artistic  eye  as  well  as  a 
bloody  one  and  selected  for  himself  one  of  the  most 
attractive  "residential  sections"  in  all  the  world. 

So  wore  away  the  eight  days  of  this  island  sojourn 
amid  gayeties  and  wanderings,  and  on  the  ninth  day  the 
fleet  steamed  away  followed  by  the  hearty  cheers  of  the 
newest  "job  lot"  of  American  citizens.  With  an  egotism 
that  was  entirely  commendable,  the  men  of  the  Venetia 
elected  to  take  unto  themselves  the  preponderance  of 
cordiality  in  those  cheers,  for  the  reason  that  her  smoke- 
stack was  the  only  one  in  all  the  assembled  fleet  that 
bore  the  gold  stars  of  naval  glory. 

There  was  no  incident  of  note  in  the  plowing  of  warm 


tropical  seas  during  the  three  days'  run  to  Santo  Do- 
mingo, save  a  succession  of  gorgeous  sunsets,  dreamings 
of  the  home  firesides,  and  a  narrowly  averted  "four- 
some" collision,  owing  to  a  mistake  in  signals,  between 
the  Venetia,  Ossipee,  Algonquin,  and  the  oilship  Chestnut 
Hill.  The  Algonquin  (flagship)  had  signaled  a  change  of 
direction  which  all  obeyed  excepting  the  Chestnut  Hi//, 
with  the  result  that  in  attempting  to  avoid  colliding 
with  her  the  three  other  vessels  barely  avoided  ram- 
ming each  other. 

A  brief  stay  had  been  projected  in  Santo  Domingo, 
not  only  for  the  purpose  of  dividing  the  fleet  there,  but 
also  to  afford  another  opportunity  for  visiting  that  very 
beautiful  but  hopelessly  turbulent  "black  republic," 
which  for  many  years  the  United  States  has  been  com- 
pelled to  invade  and  subject  into  at  least  a  semblance 
of  order,  in  protection  of  the  many  valuable  American 
interests  there.  But  there  was  one  of  these  intermittent 
disturbances  on  the  point  of  breaking  out  when  the  fleet 
arrived,  following  the  killing  of  several  marines  in  the 
interior  a  few  days  before,  so  it  was  deemed  best  to 
suspend  shore  leave  for  all  hands.  A  number  of  Ameri- 
can officers,  however,  who  boarded  the  Venetia^  were 
most  flattering  in  their  praise  of  her,  and  especially 
congratulatory  when  the  gold  stars  were  pointed  out  to 
them  with  becoming  pride.  Some  of  the  chronic  "shore- 
leavers"  complained  at  the  withdrawal  of  their  most 
dearly  beloved  privilege,  but  the  lily  farmer's  only 
regret  arose  from  the  fact  that  he  had  already  visited 
two  ports  where  the  bones  of  the  immortal  Columbus 
were  supposed  to  lie,  and  it  was  too  bad  now  to  lose  the 
opportunity  of  bowing  his  head  above  the  sepulchre 
which  the  Santo  Domingans  asseverate  with  offers  of 
ample  proof  is  the  only  real  one. 

[  249  ] 


tQ^Z*'  ^.T7 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


The  Venetia^  figuratively  speaking,  dropped  her 
anchor  and  weighed  it  again  almost  in  the  same  opera- 
tion, so  brief  was  the  stay,  and  stood  out  with  the  fleet 
under  orders  to  proceed  to  Guantanamo,  where  her 
routine  of  naval  duty  was  actually  to  end.  Off  Port  au 
Prince  the  fleet  divided,  one  section  going  northward, 
and  the  Ossipee  and  Venetia^  each  heading  a  column  of 
chasers,  with  the  Lydonia  and  Cythera,  bringing  up  the 
rear.  On  the  second  morning  out  of  Santo  Domingo, 
Guantanamo  was  reached,  and  to  the  delight  of  every- 
one aboard,  Captain  Howell  decided  to  secure  permis- 
sion to  be  detached  from  the  fleet  at  once,  so  that  the 
Venetia  might  make  it  more  safely  certain  that  history 
would  record  her  as  having  been  the  first  vessel  of  war 
of  any  type  to  display  the  gold  star  in  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
The  permission  was  duly  granted,  but  still  there  was 
delay. 

The  Algonquin  and  Lydonia  did  not  carry  paymasters ; 
"Pay"  Schnetzler  acted  in  that  capacity  for  them,  and 
consequently  had  to  "shove  off  with  the  pay-roll"  for 
those  vessels  and  exhaust  it  while  the  men  of  the  Venetia 
waited.  It  seemed  an  age  to  the  now  impatiently 
lingering  souls  sighing  for  home,  but  he  at  last  returned 
wreathed  in  smiles;  his  boat  was  hoisted  in,  and  Captain 
Howell  ordered  Chief  Perry  to  pile  on  all  possible  pres- 
sure in  his  boilers  and  "hike  out"  for  Colon  and  the 
Pacific  with  all  the  speed  of  which  the  ship  was  capable. 

The  engines  responded  to  the  call  of  the  Chief  with 
unusual  alacrity,  and  the  ship  had  never  developed  such 
speed  before,  even  when  answering  an  excited  signal  to 
"proceed  to  the  horizon  beyond  the  convoy  to  investi- 
gate a  suspicious  object."  For  twenty-four  hours  this 
inspiring  speed  continued,  when  black  smoke  in  great 
clouds  was  belched  from  the  funnels,  the  vessels  slowed 


TOUCHING    AT   GUANTANAMO 


THE  FIRST  GOLD  STAR  IN  THE  CANAL 


ANOTHER   LAP   HOMEWARD 


down  to  probably  half-speed,  and  the  captain  tele- 
phoned to  the  engine-room: 

"What's  the  matter  down  there?" 

"Oil's  gone  bad!"  was  the  indignant  reply,  accom- 
panied by  a  more  or  less  unprintable  phrase,  and  Colon 
was  finally  reached  six  hours  beyond  the  appointed 
schedule.  When  the  canal  pilot  came  aboard,  he  was 
told  that  shore  leave  had  been  suspended  by  general 
acclamation,  and  there  would  be  no  delay  in  making 
the  passage  of  the  canal.  Gatun  Reach  was  entered  in 
much  less  time  than  when  the  Venetia  had  passed  on  her 
former  visit;  the  three  rises  of  the  Gatun  Locks  were 
accomplished  without  a  moment's  delay;  and  the  ship 
plowed  through  the  gorgeous  reaches  of  Gatun  Lake 
indifferent  to  its  almost  indescribable  beauties,  for  there 
seemed  to  be  a  soft  breeze  from  the  Pacific  coming 
through  the  Culebra  Cut  in  the  far  distance,  and  there 
was  nothing  inspirational  to  Venetia  s  hearts  now  that 
did  not  come  to  them  fresh  from  their  mother  ocean. 
Culebra  Cut,  Miraflores  Lake,  and  San  Miguel  Lock 
were  reached  and  passed  almost  without  notice,  and  at 
five  minutes  past  meridian,  February  3,  1919,  the 
Venetia  glided  slowly  to  her  dock  at  Balboa,  almost  in 
home  waters,  with  every  heart  aboard  of  her  throbbing 
for  the  beginning  of  that  final  lap  toward  the  north  and 
home. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 


GOLDEN   GATE   AND   HOME 

OVER  NIGHT  AT  BALBOA— THE  POLICE  UNFRIENDLY  TO  THE  NAVY— 
THE  LAST  LAP  BEGUN— EVEN  THE  GALE  SINGS  OF  HOME— CALL 
AT  SAN  DIEGO— HOME  AT  LAST— THE  FINAL  CALL  TO  "COLORS." 

S  soon  as  the  chronic  liberty-ashore  men 
had  made  the  discovery  that  the  ship 
would  remain  at  Balboa  over  night  the 
"Exec's"  office  was  besieged,  only  to 
elicit  the  information  that  no  liberty 
would  be  granted,  and  for  once  the 
reason  for  the  suspension  was  given.  Captain  Howell 
had  been  notified  on  arrival  that  for  some  time  past, 
owing  to  serious  personal  clashes  between  the  Canal 
Zone  police  and  sailors  from  ships  passing  through  the 
canal,  it  had  been  decided  to  suspend  all  leave  at  Bal- 
boa— except  in  cases  where  the  landing  of  sailors  might 
be  a  matter  of  urgent  necessity — and  hence  the  order 
that  brought  sullen  looks  to  the  "give-me-liberty-or- 
give-me-death  "  men. 

It  would  seem  to  be  a  singular  anomaly  that  Ameri- 
cans should  be  pitted  against  Americans  in  bloody 
combat,  but  nevertheless  such  is  the  existing  feeling 
between  the  jackies  of  the  navy  and  the  Canal  Zone 
police.  It  should  be  explained,  however,  that  a  large 
number  of  these  police  are  natives  of  the  "Zone,"  and 

[252] 


GOLDEN   GATE   AND   HOME 


that  they  are  suspected  of  themselves  precipitating 
clashes  between  themselves  and  the  navy  men,  so  that 
they  may  quell  the  riots  they  themselves  have  started 
and  in  this  way  add  to  their  records  of  efficiency.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  true  or  false,  the  fact  still  remains  that 
because  of  frequent  fatal  encounters  such  as  have  been 
touched  upon,  all  sailors  are  temporarily  denied  liberty 
at  Balboa. 

Attempts  were  then  made,  both  by  officers  and  men, 
to  be  granted  leave  for  a  visit  to  the  ancient  city  of 
Panama,  when  it  was  learned  that  such  visits  may  not 
be  made  without  passes  from  the  Zone  authorities. 
These  could  not  be  secured  for  three  days,  and,  since 
an  early  morning  start  was  to  be  made  for  California, 
all  hands  remained  aboard,  with  the  exception  of 
several  of  the  officers  who  had  dreamed  themselves  into 
the  filmy  fallacy  that  they  could  find  a  better  dinner  in 
the  hotel  at  Balboa.  Again,  they  assumed  that  even  if  it 
were  much  worse,  added  to  the  change  from  home 
cooking  there  should  be  new  faces  to  look  upon  and 
solid  earth  instead  of  rolling  waves  under  their  chairs. 

Tuesday,  February  4,  1919,  is  written  in  full,  for  in 
addition  to  other  days  of  special  importance  which  have 
been  similarly  "featured" — as  they  have  it  in  the 
theatres  and  newspapers — it  was  the  day  on  which  the 
Venetia  began  the  final  lap  of  the  long  stretch  up  the 
Pacific  Coast  with  an  ending  at  the  port  of  first  depar- 
ture, San  Francisco.  The  morning  dawned  bright  and 
promising,  but  heavy  with  the  heat  of  Panama  Bay, 
which  meant  that  blouses  would  be  omitted  from  the 
day's  uniform.  The  start  was  made  at  1 1  A.M.,  and  every 
heart  thrilled  with  the  joy  of  the  not-far-away  home- 
coming, which  so  tinted  everything  about  with  the 
radiance  of  expectancy  that  even  the  breeze  stirred  by 

[253] 


r® 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


\s 
n 


speeding  through  the  hot  airs  of  the  Bay  of  Panama 
seemed  cool  and  delightful  because  it  was  from  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  As  the  king  can  do  no  wrong;  as  nothing 
but  good  can  come  of  the  praising  of  the  Creator,  so,  in 
their  great  and  indiscriminative  joy,  these  returning 
wanderers  felt  sure  on  this  February  morning  that 
nothing  but  the  best  ever  could  possibly  be  born  of  the 
Pacific. 

They  felt  surer  than  ever  of  this  when,  a  few  hours 
later,  the  stuffy  atmospheres  of  the  waters  about  the 
Canal  Zone  had  been  left  behind,  and  a  brisk  head  breeze 
swept  the  Venetia  from  stem  to  stern.  Every  heart  was 
beating  high  and  every  face  wreathed  in  smiles — all  but 
one.  Captain  Howell,  with  the  burden  of  a  recent  sore 
affliction  still  bearing  heavily  upon  his  heart,  shared 
scarcely  any  at  all  in  the  general  spirit  of  elation  that 
seemed  to  increase  with  each  added  mile  that  lessened 
the  distance  toward  the  home  port.  The  nearing  of  the 
Venetia  s  home  meant  nothing  to  him,  other  than  that 
to  reach  it  was  in  his  line  of  duty  which  must  be  per- 
formed, and,  that  accomplished,  his  interest  in  her  or 
her  future  was  a  matter  of  small  import  as  far  as  senti- 
ment was  concerned.  Doubtless  those  to  whom  he  had 
confided  the  contents  of  the  saddening  message  received 
at  Gibraltar  read  in  his  tense  features  what  the  return 
to  a  tenantless  home  on  the  opposite  coast  must  mean 
to  him,  and  kept  aloof. 

There  were  others  in  the  ship's  company  the  joy  of 
whose  home-coming  would  be  dampened  by  tears,  but 
these  passed  by  almost  unnoticed  because  the  clouds 
that  surrounded  them  were  melted  away  in  the  sunshine 
of  gladness  that  dominated  the  spirits  of  the  great 
majority.  And  indeed  there  seemed  nothing  but  sun- 
shine during  all  of  that  merry  voyage  northward.  The 


GOLDEN    GATE   AND    HOME 


smiling  heavens,  the  cooling  breezes,  and  those  gentle 
undulations  of  the  sea,  without  which  those  who  love  the 
sea  would  be  truly  lonesome,  contributed  always  to  the 
heartsease  of  the  young  patriots  whose  duties  had  been 
fulfilled  and  were  soon  to  be  recorded  upon  the  pages  of 
pleasurable  memory. 

Even  the  undependable  and  usually  angry  Gulf  of 
Tehuantepec  was  kindly  considerate  and  had  evidently 
decided  not  to  subject  the  proud  little  bearer  of  the 
golden  stars  to  any  undue  strain  nor  her  company  to 
any  of  the  wearing  discomforts  of  stormy  weather.  Its 
waters  were  not  calm,  it  is  true,  for  this  they  seldom 
are.  But  the  few  hours  of  the  mimic  gale  seemed  to  end 
almost  as  suddenly  as  they  had  begun,  and  served  only 
to  add  zest  to  the  general  joy  which  thrice  as  much 
heavy  weather  could  not  have  removed. 

This  time  even  the  arid  coasts  and  mountains  of 
Lower  California  seemed  strangely  beautiful,  for  were 
they  not  after  all  a  California,  and  was  not  the  true 
California  soon  to  burst  upon  the  home-comers  in  all 
its  beauty  to  welcome  them  ? 

On  the  morning  of  the  twelfth  day  out  from  Balboa, 
Coronado  Island  hove  in  sight  and  everyone  aboard 
began  to  grow  more  and  more  impatient.  The  hours 
seemed  long  indeed  before  Point  Loma  offered  its  wel- 
come at  noon  bathed  in  sunshine,  and  each  hour  was 
relatively  three  before  the  Venetia  had  entered  the 
almost  perfect  harbor  of  San  Diego  at  4:30  P.M.  and 
moored  alongside  the  dock  near  Fort  Rosencrans. 

Routine  at  once  became  intensely  "ragged,"  if  not 
altogether  suspended,  for  there  was  a  more  or  less  dis- 
orderly scramble  to  telegraph  stations  and  telephone 
booths,  for  reasons  which  may  readily  be  imagined. 
Those  who  had  mothers,  wives,  children,  or  sisters  near 

[255] 


V    E    N    E  A 


at  hand  flew  to  happy  reunions,  while  those  whose 
homes  were  more  remote  waited  anxiously  for  personal 
replies  to  urgent  messages.  The  news  of  the  victorious 
Venetias  arrival,  already  foreshadowed  by  radio,  spread 
with  the  celerity  of  the  first  declaration  of  war,  and  soon 
she  was  besieged  by  a  stream  of  San  Diegans,  proud  of 
the  achievements  of  the  sometime  pleasure  craft  whose 
owner  was  himself  proud  to  claim  San  Diego  as  his 
residence. 

On  the  following  morning  the  owner,  with  members 
of  his  family  and  a  large  party  of  friends,  came  from  San 
Diego  on  the  fire-boat,  full  of  congratulation  for  the 
splendid  record  made  in  so  brief  a  period  by  California's 
only  truly  belligerent  representative  in  the  war  zone. 
Mr.  Spreckels  expressed  his  great  pride  and  satisfaction 
in  that  record  and  felt  very  grateful  indeed  to  each  and 
every  member  of  the  ship's  company  for  having  so 
efficiently  assisted  in  making  it.  There  was  an  added 
flush  on  his  ruddy  face  when  the  gold  stars  were  pointed 
out  and  this  record  outlined  to  him.  In  addition  to 
assisting  in  two  towing  squadrons  across  the  ocean,  she 
had  been  a  guard-ship  in  twenty-eight  convoys,  num- 
bering in  all  three  hundred  fifty- two  ships,  of  which 
seven  were  lost  and,  it  is  believed,  adequately  avenged. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after  leaving  San 
Diego  the  Venetia  passed  through  the  Golden  Gate  and 
anchored  again  in  Man-o'-War's  Row,  for  the  last  time 
as  a  vessel  of  war,  after  having  logged  55,000  miles  in  all 
weathers  without  a  mishap  owing  to  structural  weak- 
ness, with  a  record  of  which  any  cruiser  might  be  proud 
and  a  golden  star  on  either  side  of  her  funnel  to  per- 
petuate it  during  the  pleasure-times  to  come. 

Seven  days  were  allowed  officers  and  crew  for  wel- 
comes home,  and  those  convivial  relaxations  which  only 

[256] 


GOLDEN    GATE    AND    HOME 


the  natures  not  narrowed  down  to  strict  convention  can 
understand,  and  to  which  they  were  clearly  entitled  as 
personal  liberty's  reward  for  those  eighteen  months 
of  patriotic  devotion  to  the  service  of  their  country's  flag. 

On  the  27th  of  February  the  Venetia  proceeded  to 
Mare  Island  Navy  Yard,  but,  because  of  that  official 
delay  which  nobody  can  understand  and  no  one  ever 
offers  to  explain,  the  ceremony  of  going  out  of  com- 
mission was  not  carried  out  until  the  5th  of  April.  Its 
details  were  somewhat  disappointing,  in  consideration 
of  the  ship's  unusual  record,  for,  on  account  of  rain,  the 
band  was  not  present  to  play  the  national  anthem;  so 
such  officers  as  were  aboard  assembled  on  the  quarter, 
Captain  Ellicut  came  aboard  accompanied  by  a  bugler, 
read  the  orders  placing  the  ship  out  of  commission,  the 
bugler  sounded  "colors,"  and  all  uncovered  as  the 
national  standard  was  lowered  and  the  Venetia  s  career 
as  an  auxiliary  cruiser  of  the  navy  of  the  United  States 
was  at  an  end. 

The  lily  farmer  sighed  as  the  Venetia  was  finally 
moored  to  the  lying  up-dock,  for  it  meant  that  peace  had 
come  indeed. 

"I  wouldn't  grow  a  single  shade  paler  if  I  were 
ordered  to  do  it  all  over  again,"  he  said. 

"Here  too!"  cheerily  responded  a  near-by  group  of 
hearers,  and  then  a  hitherto  unsuspected  poet  drew  from 
his  blouse  these  lines  and  read  them  aloud: 


VALE! 

Down  thro'  the  pleasure  years  that  lie  beyond, 

No  revel  deep  nor  growth  of  friendships  fond 

Shall  let  Forgetfulness  pall  with  its  cloud 

The  lustre  of  thy  deeds  that  cry  aloud 

To  make  men  marvel  and  the  whole  world  proud. 

[257] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


No  jealous  caviller  shall  flout  thy  name, 
Nor  cast  a  doubt  upon  thy  well  won  fame: 
No  carping  pen  shall  write  on  Memory's  page, 
Mocking  the  war  of  vengeance  thou  didst  wage, 
For  it  shall  light  thee  to  enfeebled  age. 

The  allied  chiefs  of  war  acclaim  their  debt; 
Recording  tomes  shall  not  thy  fame  forget; 
The  shades  of  Lusitania's  martyred  drowned 
Shall  never  deafen  to  the  deadening  sound 
With  which  Venetia  expiation  found. 

Vale,  Venetia!  Speed  thee  unto  lands 
Where  Pleasure  reigns  and  Friendship's  voice  commands: 
But  let  thy  every  shroud,  and  deck,  and  beam, 
Creak  ever  with  the  lore  of  battle's  gleam, 
Recalling  what's  but  now  a  war-time  dream. 


H 


N 


D 


ADDENDA 


m\ 


NOT  all  the  confirmatory  documents  in  the  case 
have  been  obtainable,  no  doubt  for  the  reason  that 
in  view  of  the  great  mass  of  data  that  has  been  filed  in 
the  Bureau  of  Naval  Intelligence  at  Washington  some 
of  them  had  not  been  found  at  the  time  when  this 
volume  was  printed.  The  Confidential  Bulletin  of 
Admiral  Sims,  mention  of  which  is  made  on  page  236, 
supra,  was  among  the  papers  of  the  Venetia  on  her  re- 
turn to  the  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard;  these  were  col- 
lected by  Ensign  Volney  E.  Howard — her  officer  of 
communications — and  mailed  to  Washington.  A  letter 
was  addressed  to  the  Bureau  of  Communications,  under 
date  of  July  24,  1919,  asking  for  a  transcript  of  the 
Venetia  s  record,  and  after  much  delay,  the  following 
somewhat  incomplete  reply  was  received: 

[Washington,  D.  C]  24  October  1919 
MR.  CLAY  M.  GREENE, 

J.  D.  &  A.  B.  SPRECKELS  SECURITIES  COMPANY, 
Oceanic  Building, 

1  Pine  Street,  Corner  of  Market  Street, 
SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 

Dear  Sir: — 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  July  24,  1919  addressed  to  the  Bureau 
of  Communications  and  referred  to  the  Historical  Section  of  the 
Office  of  Naval  Intelligence.  It  is  believed  that  the  following  data 
taken  from  the  War  Diary  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Venetia  and  the  records  of 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


submarine  encounters  shown  in  the  Oversea  Files  of  this  Office,  will 
give  you  the  information  desired. 

[Then  follows  a  detailed  account  of  the  several  en- 
counters with  submarines  precisely  as  have  already 
been  described  in  these  pages — excepting,  strangely 
enough,  the  stirring  first  engagement  of  April  22.] 

FROM  OVERSEAS  RECORDS 

May  u,  1918. 

Force  Comdr.'s  Staff  reports,  May  nth  Lat.  38°  17'  N  Long. 
8°  05'  E  at  0339.  while  in  slow  convoy  the  USS  VENETIA  observed 
wake  of  a  torpedo  which  crossed  ahead  and  sunk  the  SUSETTE 
FRAISISETTE[sic].  VENETIA  dropped  depth  charges.  No  results. 
VENETIA  cruised  widening  circles  close  to  wreckage  of  torpedoed 
ship  and  sighted  Subm.  awash  8  miles  distant.  VENETIA  headed 
full  speed  for  Subm.  but  it  submerged  before  VENETIA  came  in 
range.  Nothing  more  seen  of  it. 

July  II  1918. 

Intelligence  Section  of  Force  Comdr.'s  Office  reports  that  USS 
VENETIA  recently  made  a  determined  attack  on  a  submarine  which 
attacked  a  Mediterranean  Convoy.  The  VENETIA  remained 
behind  the  convoy  for  two  hours  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  sub- 
marine down  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  submarine  was  sighted  on 
the  horizon  and  again  attacked.  This  submarine  was  later  sunk  by  a 
British  Submarine  in  the  Adriatic  and  in  her  log  was  found  an  entry, 
that  further  attack  on  convoy  in  question  was  prevented  by  the 
activities  of  the  VENETIA.  On  the  occasion  in  question  the 
VENETIA  was  able  to  use  only  twelve  depth  charges;  since  then 
she  has  been  fitted  with  30  charges  of  300  Ibs.  each.  Commander 
Porterfield  has  been  commended  by  the  British  Admiral  com- 
manding the  Mediterranean,  and  by  the  U.  S.  Admiral  commanding 
at  Gibraltar  and  by  the  Force  Commander. 

In  regard  to  U-Boat  39  mentioned  in  your  letter  as  the  destroyer 
Lusitania,  the  British  Admiralty  report,  January  i,  1919,  that  that 
submarine  was  interned  at  Cartigena  [sic]  May  19,  1918. 

C.  C.  MARSH,  Captain,  USN.,  (Ret.) 

Officer-in-Charge, 

Historical  Section. 

[260] 


ADDENDA 


I 


FROM   A    WASHINGTON    NEWSPAPER 

Under  date  of  March  2,  1919,  the  Washington  Times 
reproduced  a  photograph  of  the  Venetia,  under  the  dis- 
play headline,  "The  Vessel  that  Avenged  Lusitania," 
and  with  the  following  descriptive  legend. 

This  boat  is  the  avenger  of  the  Lusitania.  Converted  into  a 
bomber,  the  former  yacht  sank  with  a  depth  bomb  the  0-39,  thesub- 
narine  that  it  is  generally  supposed  sent  the  big  liner  to  the  bottom. 
From  Germany  has  come  the  report  that  the  naval  officer  that 
ordered  the  firing  of  the  torpedoes  was  on  this  U-boat  when  it  was 
sunk  or  disabled.  Before  being  fitted  up  as  a  bomber  this  vessel  was 
owned  by  John  D.  Spreckels,  the  sugar  magnate,  and  was  known  as 
the  Venetia. 

EVIDENCE    FROM  A    SERVICE   MAGAZINE 

In  its  issue  for  April,  1919,  The  Short  Circuit ,  a 
monthly  magazine  published  at  the  Mare  Island  Navy 
Yard,  contains  an  article  concerning  the  record  of  the 
Venetia.  It  is  reproduced  here  to  show  that  in  naval 
quarters  the  scattered  reports  of  her  achievements  have 
been  accepted  as  almost  indisputable  facts: 

The  Venetia^  the  pleasure  yacht  owned  by  John  D.  Spreckels 
which  was  turned  over  to  the  Government  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
war,  is  home  again.  She  brings  with  her  one  of  the  highest  records 
attained  by  any  naval  vessel.  The  Venetia  carries  a  gold  star  on  her 
stack,  given  her  by  the  British  and  American  governments  for  des- 
troying at  least  one  submarine. 

The  crippling  of  the  U-39,  the  German  submarine  that  sank  the 
Lusitania,  and  forcing  her  to  seek  refuge  in  a  Spanish  port,  there  to 
be  interned  for  the  duration  of  the  war;  cruising  more  than  54,000 
miles  in  the  war  zone  without  a  breakdown;  assisting  in  the  repulse 
of  three  U-boat  attacks  in  a  single  night— is  only  a  part  of  the 
thrilling  record  of  the  Venetia. 

The  Venetia  was  the  only  converted  pleasure  yacht  which  re- 
mained in  the  naval  service  of  the  United  States  until  the  end  of  the 
war,  and  the  only  vessel  from  the  Pacific  Coast  to  return  to  home 
waters  with  a  gold  star  on  her  stack 

From  the  time  that  the  Venetia  made  her  first  trip  from  Ponta 

[261] 


:  m 


N    E    T    I    A 


Delgada,  in  the  Azores,  on  February  8,  1918,  she  began  making 
records  for  herself  and  history  for  the  world.  On  this  trip  she  steamed 
2436  miles,  and  on  February  21  she  was  assigned  to  Mediterranean 
duty,  making  two  trips  from  Gibraltar  to  the  French  Algiers  before 
encountering  any  submarines. 

On  the  morning  of  April  22  a  wireless  was  picked  up  telling  of  the 
torpedoing  of  the  British  steamer  Dronning  Maud,  about  60  miles 
northeast  of  Algiers.  The  Venetia  rushed  to  the  spot  and  in  a  short 
encounter  sank  the  submarine.  It  is  probably  for  this  that  she  wears 
the  gold  star. 

The  Venetia  s  second  encounter  occurred  on  May  n,  160  miles 
north  of  Algiers.  The  submarine,  which  was  later  found  to  be  the 
U-59,  fired  a  torpedo  at  the  Venetia  which  missed  by  a  small  three 
feet  and,  passing  its  mark,  hit  the  French  steamship  SusetteFraissinet, 
which  sank  in  fifteen  minutes.  Following  the  wake  of  the  torpedo, 
the  Venetia  dropped  several  depth  bombs.  Later  the  U-59  was  sunk 
in  the  Adriatic  and  from  her  log,  which  was  captured,  it  was  found 
that  the  depth  charges  dropped  by  the  little  craft  had  done  con- 
siderable damage  to  the  submarine. 

On  M#y  17  the  Venetia  had  her  most  thrilling  experience  when  two 
subs  attacked  the  convoy.  The  first  torpedo  fired  by  the  subs  struck 
the  Sculptor,  laden  with  aeroplanes,  ambulances  and  supplies  for  the 
troops  operating  on  the  Salonika  front.  The  Sculptor  was  beached  the 
next  day  and  destroyed  by  an  explosion.  The  sub  was  the  U-39,  the 
one  which  sank  the  Lusitania,  She  was  damaged  so  badly  by  the 
Venetia  3  depth  charges  that  she  had  to  put  into  port  at  Cartagena, 
Spain,  where  she  was  interned.  The  other  sub,  operating  with  the 
U-39,  attacked  the  other  two  vessels  of  the  convoy,  but  the  Venetia 
was  too  busy  with  the  U-39  to  ta^e  part  in  repulsing  the  second  sub. 
One  of  the  vessels  was  sunk  in  one  minute,  but  the  other  managed 
to  reach  port. 

The  last  sub  encountered  by  the  Venetia  was  on  July  23,  about  125 
miles  northeast  of  Algiers,  when  the  British  steamer  Messidor  was 
sunk.  The  entire  convoy  fired  on  the  sub,  which  was  destroyed,  the 
credit  of  its  destruction  going  to  the  convoy  instead  of  the  Venetia. 

The  danger  in  which  the  crew  of  the  Venetia  operated  may  well  be 
guessed  when  it  is  known  that  she  carried  with  her  thirty  3co-pound 
depth  charges  of  T.  N.  T.,  the  most  powerful  explosive  used  in  war- 
fare. Had  a  torpedo  struck  her  there  would  have  been  nothing  left 
but  a  few  splinters.  She  also  carried  four  3-inch  5o-caliber  guns  and 
two  Colt's  automatics. 


ADDENDA 


Fighting  subs  was  not  the  only  thing  that  the  Venetia  had  to  con- 
tend with.  On  her  trip  to  the  war  zone  from  Philadelphia  she  passed 
through  a  heavy  storm  at  sea,  and  when  she  reached  the  commander 
of  the  American  forces  at  Gibraltar,  a  part  of  her  cabin  was  caved  in 
and  the  upper  works  partially  demolished  by  the  gale. 

"When  will  you  be  ready  for  duty?"  asked  Rear  Admiral  Alfred 
Niblack,  in  charge  of  the  American  forces  at  sea  in  the  war  zone. 

"At  once,"  was  the  terse  reply  of  Captain  Porterfield,  and  he 
proved  it  by  going  to  duty  the  next  day  on  convoy  work. 


INDEX 


Airplanes,  merits  compared  with 
dirigible,  169. 

Alexander,  Ensign  John,  bio- 
graphical sketch  of,  22;  pro- 
moted, 56. 

Algeciras,  102,  199,  196. 

Alhambra,  200. 

Allied  success,  news  of,  21 1. 

Algonquin,  239,  242,  249,  250.  _ 

American  Convalescent  Hospi- 
tal (Genoa),  208. 

America's  share  in  victory  be- 
littled by  British,  212,  213. 

Arcturus,  233. 

Armament  of  Venetia,  3,  30. 

Armando,  105. 

Armistice,  223;  celebration  of, 
222,  225;  news  of,  216,  217. 

Armstrong,  Lieutenant  J.  B., 
121,  170;  assigned  to  Venetia, 
68;  biographical  sketch  of,  16. 

Artemus,  105. 

Ash-cans:    See  Depth  charges. 

Assembly:    See  Venetia  Dance. 

Atlantic,  storm  in,  72-74. 

Avona,  105. 

Azorean  liquor,  effect  of,  88. 

Azores,  84,  214. 


B 


Balboa,  251,  252. 
Banquet  at  Lisbon,  227,  228. 
Barnegat,  57,  59,  6 1,  71,  77. 
Baseball,  116,  117. 
"Bear-cat,"  the,  133,  161. 
Benham,  Ensign  C.  H.,  232. 
Bermuda,  60,  68,  71;  reception 

by  Governor-General  of,  63. 
Bizerta,  107,  113,  117,  123,  126, 

164,  168,  169,  191. 
Bluebeard's  Castle,  248. 
Bohemian  Club,  159. 
Bomdeleforde,  105. 
Bouillot,  Lieutenant,  215,  217, 

219. 

Britannia,  220. 
British  belittle  America's  share 

in  victories,  212,  213. 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  51. 
Buell,  C.  W.,  36. 
Bull-fights,  101,  102. 
Bunau-Varilla,  37. 
Buron  Alrossan,  105. 
Bussell,  Lieutenant  C.  T.,  202; 

biographical  sketch  of,  114. 
Bylands,  105. 


[265] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


Camouflage  of  Venetia,  3;  re- 
moved from  Venetia,  200. 

Canard,  99,  144. 

Cartagena,  156,  157;  submarines 
interned  at,  234,  236,  262. 

Castine,  71,  116,  198,  208,  239, 
242. 

Cater  in,  105. 

Cemetery  at  Genoa,  184. 

Chagres  River,  38. 

Charles  Braley,  159,  161. 

Charlotte  Amalie,  247. 

Chestnut  Hill,  242,  249. 

Child,  Gunner,  142. 

Choctaw,  61. 

Christmas,  60,  238,  240. 

dinner,  59,  60,  240. 

Eve,  239. 

Clan  Chisholm,  105. 

Colon,  40,  251. 

Communications,  Bureau  of, 
259. 

Concord,  61,  71,  84,  85. 

Confidential  Bulletin,  236,  259. 

Convoy,  formation  of,  105.  (See 
also  Guarding  convoys.) 

Corvi,  139,  144;  collides  with 
Venetia,  140. 

Crew  of  Venetia,  6. 

Culebra  Cut,  38,  251. 

Cythera,  104,  105,  127,  134,  148, 
239,  242,  250. 

D 

Daniels,  Josephus,  8,  63,  87,  89, 

93,  185. 
De  Camp,  Ensign  W.  L.,  93,  170, 

196;   biographical   sketch   of, 

21. 


Depth    charges,    79,    99,    122; 

Venetia    equipped    with,    70; 

mechanism  of,  122. 
dropped,  131,  132,  138,  178, 

235; 

Dirigibles,  function  of,  168; 
merits  compared  with  air- 
planes, 169. 

"Doc,"  the,  172-175,  191. 

Donovan,  Lieutenant  W.  G.,  9; 
biographical  sketch  of,  17; 
leaves  the  Venetia,  36. 

Dotter  practice,  31. 

Dowling,  First  Officer,  142. 

Drake,  Dr.  P.  M.,  196;  bio- 
graphical sketch  of,  13. 

Drills,  30,  70,  72. 

Dronning  Maud,  123,  262;  tor- 
pedoed, 122. 

Druid,  233. 

Dry  dock,  The  Venetia  in,  190, 
198. 

Dunn,  Admiral,  161. 

Dunstay,  105. 


Edwards,  Fourth  Engineer,  142. 

Ellicutt,  Captain,  257. 

Ellin,  105. 

Ellis,  105. 

Europa  Point,  95,  104,  in,  135, 


Figuera,  105. 
Fisher,  Harrison,  3,  loo. 
Floreston,  105. 
"Flu,"  the,  216. 
Fourth  of  July,  166,  167. 


[266] 


INDEX 


Funchal,    215;    armistice    cele- 
brated at,  216. 


Galatea,  81,  83,  84. 

Gatun  Lake,  38,  39,  251. 

Locks,  39,  251. 

Genoa,  176,  181-183,  185,  203, 
206;  American  Convalescent 
Hospital  at,  208;  cemetery  at, 
184. 

George,  Captain  Henry,  I,  5. 

"Gib":     See  Gibraltar. 

Gibraltar,  95,  96,  100,  109,  114, 
124,  135,  151,  162,  163,  164, 
i?5>  l85>  I86>  J93>  203>  2°4, 

205,  210,  211,  224,  230. 

Giore,  105. 

Giuseppe,  105. 

Gold  star,   135,   158,  250,  256, 

257,  261;  awarded  to  Venetia, 

236;  mounted  on  Venetia,  237. 
Graham,  Third  Engineer,  142. 
Granada,  199. 
Great  Sound,  61,  71. 
Greene,  Clay  M.,  259. 
Guantanamo,  250. 
Guarding    convoys,     103,     105, 

in,  117,  124,  126,  148,  162, 

164,  1 66,  176,  177,  1 86,  202, 

205,  256. 
Gulf  of  Lyons,   186,  206,  209, 

210. 
Gulf  of  Tehuantepec,  255;  storm 

off  of,  34. 
Guthrie-Smith,     Sir     Herbert, 

193- 

Gyp,  105. 

Gypsum  Queen,  57,  61,  71. 


H 

Hampton  Roads,  58. 

Hannibal,  231,  239,  242,  243. 

Heliotrope,  122. 

Hesanger,  105. 

Howard,  Ensign,  V.  E.,  vi,  33, 
116,  170,  199,  259;  biographi- 
cal sketch  of,  19. 

Howell,  Captain  C.  F.,  188, 
230,  231;  assumes  command 
of  Venetia,  187;  biographical 
sketch  of,  189. 

Howell,  Mrs.,  death  of,  210. 

I 

Inspection  of  Venetia,  2,  190. 
lolanthe,  105. 
Isolde,  131,  139,  144. 

J 

J,  L.  Luckenbach,  162,  163. 
Jacobus,  Gunner,  121,  122,  130, 

138,  178. 

James  Connelly,  162. 
Jeanette  II,  197. 
Joyer,  Captain,  243. 

K 

Kadania,  178. 

Karer  Prince,  105. 

Kourek,  105. 

Krebs,  Lieutenant  W.  G.,  8,  41; 

biographical    sketch    of,    14; 

detached  from  Venetia,  68,  70. 
Krump,  Lieutenant,  185. 


I 


La  Lfnea,  101. 


[267] 


Lapwing,  242. 

La  Roche,  Commander,  53,  64- 

67,  87,  99. 
League  Island  Navy  Yard,  48, 

49>  SS>  S6>  57- 
Leixos,  92,  93. 

Leviathan,  63. 

Liberty,  deportment  on,  62. 

Lily  farmer,  the,  65,  67,  80,  159, 

.205,  233. 
Liquor,     restrictions     on:    See 

Daniels. 
Lisbon,  225,  226,  228;  banquet 

at,  227,  228. 
Lusitania,  avenging  of,  135,  158; 

evidence  that  Venetia  avenged, 

IS7>  r58>  I77>  *97>  226>  227> 
231,  232,  235,  236,  259,  260, 

261,  262. 
Lydonia,  57,  58,  164,  239,  242, 

250. 

M 

McClay,  Lieutenant,  208,  209. 

Machias,  151. 

MacKenzie,  Ensign  Donald,  ap- 
pointed navigator  of  Venetia, 
68;  biographical  sketch  of,  69; 
collapses,  86;  invalided  home, 
87. 

Madeira,  162,  214,  215,  217. 

Mangan,  Lieutenant  M.  A.,  92, 
178;  assigned  to  Venetia,  68; 
biographical  sketch  of,  69;  ill 
with  influenza,  211. 

Manning,  234. 

Man-o'-War's  Row,  10,  257. 

Mare  Island  Navy  Yard,  xix, 
i,  2,  5,  9,  10,  257,  259. 

Marue  de  Larrinago,  105. 


Marsh,  Captain  C.  C.,  260. 
Mavisbrook,  157;  torpedoed,  145. 
Meaford,  105. 
Messidor,   235,   262;   torpedoed 

and  sunk,  178. 

Miles,  Sir  Rupert,  no,  156,  193. 
Milestone,  Second  Officer,  142. 
Miraflores  lake,  251. 

locks,  36,  38. 

Montauk,  57,  58. 
Moulin  Blanc,  112. 


N 

Nahant,  61,  71,  91. 

Naval  Intelligence,  Bureau  of, 

259. 
New  Year's  Day,  63,  241. 

Eve,  62. 

Niblack,  Admiral,  99,  156,  157, 

263.  _ 
Nicolini,   Ensign   D.  V.,  vi,   i, 

2,   66,   91,    146;   biographical 

sketch  of,  1 8;  leaves  Venetia, 

114. 
Nokomis,  61,  67,  71,  77,  81,  82, 

83>  87,  94. 


o 

Officers  of  Venetia,  5;  biographi- 
cal sketches  of,  11-23,  69,  JI4> 
189. 

Ontario,  242. 

Ophir,  burning  of,  228. 

Oran,  196. 

Ossipee,  239,  242,^249,  250. 

Osterhaus,  Captain,  167. 

Overseas  Records,  260. 


[268] 


INDEX 


Pacific  Transport,  105. 

Paducah,  122,  234. 

"Painted  Jezebel,"  the,  55,  133, 

2OI. 

"Painted  Siren  of  Babylon," 
the,  176. 

Panama  Canal,  35;  Venetia  en- 
ters, 36. 

Penobscot,  61,  71,  80,  83. 

Perdita,  124. 

Perry,  Lieutenant  F.  M.,  176, 
190;  biographical  sketch  of,  15. 

Personnel  of  Venetia,  5-7. 

Philadelphia,  55. 

Phillips,  Dr.  G.  S.,  177. 

Ponta  Delgada,  84,  85,  87,  88, 
162,  219,  221,  241. 

Pope,  Captain,  138,  146,  232. 

Porterfield,  Commander  L.  B., 
5,  7,41,  68,  83,  108,  113,  119, 
157,  161,  189,  263;  biographi- 
cal sketch  of,  ii;  commended, 
260;  detached  from  Venetia, 
187. 

President  of  Portugal,  227,  228. 

Prometheus,  61. 

R 

Rank  and  rating,  6,  7. 
Ravenston,  105. 

Rescue  of  Sculptor's  crew,  139. 
"Roaring  Forties,"  the,  77,  93. 
"Rock,"  the:    See  Gibraltar. 
Roper,  Captain,  148. 
Rut/ing/in,  torpedoed  and  sunk, 
179. 

S 

Sacramento,  234. 


Salina,  105. 

St.     George's     Channel     (Ber- 
muda), 61. 

St.  Thomas,  234,  244,  246,  247. 
San  Diego,  Venetia  touches  at, 

xxi,  27,  255,  256. 
San  Francisco,  Venetia  at,   10, 

257. 

San  Miguel  Lock,  251. 
Santo  Domingo,  249. 
Schnetzler,  Ensign  S.  S.,  9,  66, 

170,  199;  biographical  sketch 

of,  20. 
Sculptor,  139,  140,  142,  144,  145, 

IS7>  235>  262;  crew  rescued, 

139;  torpedoed,  137. 
Seaworthiness  of  Venetia,^,  84, 

86. 

Serba  Bay,  107,  147,  168,  169. 
Seneca,  198;  collides  with  Venetia, 

197. 

Shad  well,  105. 
"Sherman  Said   a  Mouthful!" 

159. 

Shore  patrol,  196,  246. 
Short  Circuit,  Article  in,  261. 
Sims,  Admiral,    197,   231,  233, 

259;  Confidential  Bulletin  of, 

236,  259. 
Sonoma,  242. 
Spreckels,  John  D.,  xix,  4,  27, 

256,  261. 
Storm  in  Atlantic,  72-74. 

off  Gulf  of  Tehuantepec,  34. 

Submarine,  destruction  of 
French,  97;  disabled  by 
Venetia,  132, 135;  encountered, 
131;  sighted,  148,  149. 
Submarine  chasers,  57,  77,  78, 
231,  239;  (No.  67),  80,  81,  82; 


[269] 


V    E    N    E    T    I    A 


(No.  68),  81;  (No.  172),  94; 
(No.  318),  90;  (No.  350),  139; 
towing  of,  54. 

Submarines,  damaged,  156;  in- 
terned at  Cartagena,  1 56,  234, 
236,  262.  (See  also  U-boats.) 

"Suicide  Fleet,"  the,  83,  56,  242. 

Susette  Fraissinet,  130,  235,  260, 
262;  sinking  of,  131;  tor- 
pedoed, 129. 

Surveyor,  114, 138, 157,  232,  235, 
236. 


Tagus  River,  225,  228. 
Target  practice,  31-33,  46- 
Tehuantepec,  Gulf  of,  storm  off, 

34. 

"Tenderfeet,"  7,  8. 
Thanksgiving  dinner,  227. 
Thompson,  Captain  "Al,"xxi,  I. 
'Times,  Washington,  article  in, 

261. 

Towing  service,  54. 
squadron,  68,  70,  78;  ships 

in,  57. 
-submarine  chasers,  58. 


Tow-lines,  use  of,  72. 
Transfer  of  officers,  187. 
Tunis,  170,  172,  173,  175,  191, 

192. 
Tunsdall,  105. 

u 

U-boats,  (No.  39),  158,  177,  235, 
260,  261;  (No.  57),  235;  (No. 
59),  262;  (No.  69),  158.  (See 
also  Submarines.) 


"Vampire  of  Babylon,"  the, 
201. 

Van  de  Carr,  Commander  I.  C., 
160,  161. 

Venetia,  armament  of  3,  30;  at 
Bermuda,  60-63;  at  Brooklyn 
Navy  Yard,  51;  at  San  Diego, 
xxi,  27,  255,  256;  at  San 
Francisco,  10,  257;  built,  xx; 
called  to  colors,  xx;  camou- 
flage of,  3;  camouflage  re- 
moved from,  200;  collides 
with  Corvi,  140;  collides  with 
Seneca,  197;  crew  of,  6;  dam- 
age to,  142,  198;  enters  serv- 
ice, 9;  equipped  with  depth 
charges,  70,  99;  evidence  that 
she  avenged  Lusitania,  157, 

!58>  J77>  i97»  226>  23!>  232» 
235>  236>  259>  26°>  26l>  262; 
her  first  encounter,  122;  gold 
star  awarded  to,  236;  gold 
stars  mounted  on,  237;  in  dry 
dock,  190,  198;  in  towing 
squadron,  57;  inspection  of,  2, 
190;  leaves  Mare  Island,  10; 
leaves  San  Francisco,  24; 
leaves  San  Diego,  28;  officers 
of,  5;  papers  of,  259;  personnel 
of,  5;  refitting  of,  2,  103;  re- 
pairs to,  49,  197;  seaworthi- 
ness of,  72,  84,  86;  serves  as 
guard-ship,  103,  105,  in,  117, 
124,  126,  148,  162,  164,  166, 
176,  177,  1 86,  202,  205,  256; 
torpedo  misses,  130,  tows  sub- 
marine chasers,  54. 

Venetia  dance,  198. 

Venus,  105. 


[270] 


INDEX 


Virgin  Islands,   243,   244,   245, 
246. 

w 

Wadena,  234. 
Wahnesnock,  105. 
War  Drake,  202. 
Ward,  Captain,  142. 
Weaver,  Dr.  C.  H.,  177. 
Wenonah,  180,  182,  233. 
Whatley  Ha//,  146,  157,  235;  tor- 
pedoed, 145. 


Wheeling,  166,  167,  187,  230. 
Williams,  Captain,  208. 


Yankton,  destroys  French  sub- 
marine, 97. 


Zamora,  112. 

Zigzagging,  76,  163,  202,  203. 

Zone  police,  252,  253. 


[271] 


N  THE  TWENTY-FIRST  DAY  OF  NOVEMBER, 

NINETEEN  HUNDRED  AND  NINETEEN,  WAS 

COMMITTED  TO  PRESS  THIS  HISTORY  OF 

VENETIA,  AVENGER  OF  THE  LUSITANIA, 

BY  CLAY  M.  GREENE,  DESIGNED  AND  SU 

PERVISED  BY  PORTER  GARNETT,  WITH 

ILLUSTRATIONS  IN  COLOR  BY  C.  D.  ROBINSON 

AND   W.  A.  COULTER,  ORNAMENTS   BY 

A.  N.  MERRYMAN,  JNRMAND  DECORATIVE 

END-PAPERS  BY  HAROLD  VON  SCHMIDT. 

THE  PROCESS  ENGRAVINGS  BY  THE  SIERRA 

ART  AND  ENGRAVING  COMPANY.  THE 

PRINTING  BY  THE  H.  S.  CROCKER 

COMPANY,  INCORPORATED, 

OF  SAN  FRANCISCO 


A     0006595%' 


